Inheritance of Boron Efficiency in Oilseed Rape

ABSTRACTField experiments were conducted to study the inheritance of boron efficiency in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) by evaluating the boron (B) efficiency coefficient (BEC, the ratio of the seed yield at below the critical boron level to that at the boron-sufficient level) with 657 F2:3 lines of a population derived from a cross between a B-efficient cultivar, Qingyou 10, and a B-inefficient cultivar, Bakow. Qingyou 10 had high BEC as well as high seed yield at low available soil B. On the contrary, Bakow produced low seed yield at low B status. Boron deficiency decreased the seed yield of the F2:3 lines to different extents and the distribution of BEC of the population showed a bimodal pattern. When the 657 F2:3 lines were grouped into B-efficient lines and B-inefficient lines according to their BEC, the ratio of B-efficient lines to B-inefficient lines fitted the expected ratio (3:1), indicating that one major gene controlled the B-efficiency trait. 127 F2: 3 lines selected from the population at random, with distribution of BEC similar to that of the overall population, were used to identify the target region for fine mapping of the boron efficiency gene.