Peer-review: No - Open Access: Yes|http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/Journals/images/IJPBDescripStyle.pdf

Original Research Paper: Breeders regard Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata) as a predominantly self-pollinated crop and employ breeding methods for self-pollinated crops. However, the proportion between self- and cross-pollination is not experimentally quantified. The aim of this study was to estimate the outcrossing rate of B. carinata and its variation across environments. Outcrossing rate was estimated by analysing the banding pattern of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers of offspring of two parental lines grown in open-pollinated isolation plots at Holetta (normal and delayed planting condition), Kulumsa and Debrezeit Research Centers in Ethiopia and Cordoba, in Spain. The analysis of polymorphic banding pattern based on visual inspection of gels yielded three variable loci in the parents that helped to distinguish progenies obtained from self-pollination and outcrossing. Outcrossing rate in B. carinata was on average 29.6% and varied between environments from 21.8 to 39.2%. Factors such as the abundance of pollinating agents seem to affect the rate of outcrossing more than variation in geographic location, as the lowest and highest outcrossing rates were recorded in the same location, Holetta, from normal and one month delayed planting date, respectively. This study demonstrates that B. carinata possesses a substantial amount of outcrossing. The outcrossing rate observed could be an opportunity for breeders to exploit heterosis through synthetic and/or hybrid cultivar breeding.

Global Maize Program

English

No CIMMYT affiliation

Lucia Segura

I1705938

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