Accessing and exploiting genes of breeding value of distant relatives of crop Brassicas

Free radical scavenging activity in in vitro-derived tissues of Eruca sativa

Feasible regeneration protocol for economically important plant Eruca sativa was established and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity of regenerated tissues was evaluated and compared with plant material collected from the wild. Leaf portions inoculated onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium responded to all plant growth regulators exploited. Optimum callus production was achieved on a combination of 2.0 mg l(-1) 6-benzyladenine (BA) + 1.0 mg l(-1) α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and the lowest response was recorded for 0.5 mg l(-1) gibberellic acid (GA3) + 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA. The callus was subcultured on similar composition/concentrations of plant growth regulators after 4 weeks of culture time. A 5.0 mg l(-1) 6-BA + 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA produced optimum percentage shoot organogenesis after 4 weeks of subculturing. However, optimum number of shoots per explant was recorded for moderate concentrations (1.0 and 2.0 mg l(-1)) of kinetin. Incorporation of NAA into MS medium-containing GA3 also produced a feasible number of shoots/explant. Similar mean shoot length was recorded for 2.0 mg l(-1) kinetin + 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA and optimum concentrations (2.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mg l(-1)) of GA3 + 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA. In vitro generated shoots were shifted to MS medium augmented with indole acetic acid (IAA) for rooting after 4 weeks of subculturing. Moderate concentrations (5.0 mg l(-1)) of IAA produced feasible rooting. Investigation of radical scavenging activity showed that callus possesses higher levels of radical scavengers than other plant tissues tested. Phenolics and glucosides are reported to be active components of Eruca sativa phytochemistry.

Genome affinity and meiotic behaviour in trigenomic hybrids and their doubled allohexaploids between three cultivated Brassica allotetraploids and Brassica fruticulosa

The wild species Brassica fruticulosa Cyr. (FF, 2n = 16) is closely related to the cultivated Brassica species. Through interspecific reciprocal crosses between B. fruticulosa and three cultivated Brassica allotetraploids (AABB, AACC, and BBCC where A = 10, B = 8, and C = 9), four trigenomic hybrids (F.AC, 2n = 27; F.AB, 2n = 26; F.BC, 2n = 25; BC.F, 2n = 25) were produced. By chromosome doubling of respective hybrids, three allohexaploids (FF.AACC, 2n = 54; FF.AABB, 2n = 52; BBCC.FF, 2n = 50) were synthesized. In pollen mother cells (PMCs) of the trigenomic hybrids, 1–2 autosyndetic bivalents were detected within A, B, and C genomes but only one within F genome; 1–3 allosyndetic bivalents between any two genomes were observed, and a closer relationship of F and B genomes than F and A genomes or F and C genomes was revealed. The allohexaploids showed a generally low but different pollen fertilities. The chromosomes in PMCs were predominantly paired as bivalents but some univalents and multivalents at variable frequencies were observed. The bivalents of homologous pairing for each genome prevailed, but allosyndetic quadrivalents and hexavalents involving any two genomes were observed, together with autosyndetic quadrivalents for A, B, and C genomes but not the F genome. The nondiploidized cytological behaviour of these allohexaploids contributed to their low fertility. The relationships between the genome affinity and meiotic behavior in these allohexaploids were discussed.