Agronomic Traits in Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus) Can Predict Foraging Resources for Insect Pollinators

Mass-flowering crops, such as oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus), provide pulses of nectar and pollen, helping to support pollinators and their pollination services in agricultural landscapes. Despite their value to declining pollinators, varietal in-field OSR testing focusses on agronomic traits, with floral resources being largely overlooked. OSR has a high varietal turnover, and consequently, floral resource data collected for a specific variety quickly become redundant. Here, we explore the potential to predict floral resource availability using agronomic trait data routinely collected in varietal trials. To build predictive models, we investigated the relationships between agronomic traits and pollen and nectar availability in 19 OSR varieties. Nectar quality was positively influenced by early vigour, as well as winter hardiness in conventional varieties and stem stiffness in hybrid varieties. Pollen quantity was driven by different traits, with early maturation having a negative impact in conventional varieties and resistance to lodging having a positive impact in hybrid varieties. Our study highlights the potential to predict floral resources using agronomic trait data, enabling the rapid assessment of these key resources in future OSR varieties without costly sampling. Agronomic traits relating to increased nectar quality were also agronomically favourable, indicating benefits to both pollinators and growers. The inclusion of modelled floral resource data in recommended varietal lists would enable growers to make informed decisions about varietal selection based on local pollinator populations.

Download Full-text

Mapping QTL controlling agronomic traits in a doubled haploid population of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

Journal of Genetics ◽

10.1007/s12041-018-1044-3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 97 (5) ◽

pp. 1389-1406 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Farshad Fattahi ◽

Barat Ali Fakheri ◽

Mahmood Solouki ◽

Christian Möllers ◽

Abbas Rezaizad

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Oilseed Rape ◽

Doubled Haploid ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Doubled Haploid Population ◽

Winter Oilseed Rape ◽

Brassica Napus L ◽

Mapping Qtl ◽

Haploid Population

Download Full-text

Identification of Flower-Specific Promoters through Comparative Transcriptome Analysis in Brassica napus

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20235949 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (23) ◽

pp. 5949 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yan Li ◽

Caihua Dong ◽

Ming Hu ◽

Zetao Bai ◽

Chaobo Tong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

Oilseed Rape ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Expression System ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gus Expression ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Transcriptome Data ◽

Sclerotinia Stem Rot

Brassica napus (oilseed rape) is an economically important oil crop worldwide. Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a threat to oilseed rape production. Because the flower petals play pivotal roles in the SSR disease cycle, it is useful to express the resistance-related genes specifically in flowers to hinder further infection with S. sclerotiorum. To screen flower-specific promoters, we first analyzed the transcriptome data from 12 different tissues of the B. napus line ZS11. In total, 249 flower-specific candidate genes with high expression in petals were identified, and the expression patterns of 30 candidate genes were verified by quantitative real-time transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Furthermore, two novel flower-specific promoters (FSP046 and FSP061 promoter) were identified, and the tissue specificity and continuous expression in petals were determined in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana with fusing the promoters to β-glucuronidase (GUS)-reporter gene. GUS staining, transcript expression pattern, and GUS activity analysis indicated that FSP046 and FSP061 promoter were strictly flower-specific promoters, and FSP046 promoter had a stronger activity. The two promoters were further confirmed to be able to direct GUS expression in B. napus flowers using transient expression system. The transcriptome data and the flower-specific promoters screened in the present study will benefit fundamental research for improving the agronomic traits as well as disease and pest control in a tissue-specific manner.

Download Full-text

Using Temporally Resolved Floral Resource Maps to Explain Bumblebee Colony Performance in Agricultural Landscapes

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10121993 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1993

Author(s):

Philipp W. Eckerter ◽

Lars Albus ◽

Sharumathi Natarajan ◽

Matthias Albrecht ◽

Lolita Ammann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Land ◽

Bombus Terrestris ◽

Colony Growth ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Wild Plants ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Colony Development ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Floral Resource

Wild bumblebees are key pollinators of crops and wild plants that rely on the continuous availability of floral resources. A better understanding of the spatio-temporal availability and use of floral food resources may help to promote bumblebees and their pollination services in agricultural landscapes. We placed colonies of Bombus terrestris L. in 24 agricultural landscapes with various degrees of floral resource availability and assessed different parameters of colony growth and fitness. We estimated pollen availability during different periods of colony development based on detailed information of the bumblebee pollen diet and the spatial distribution of the visited plant species. Total pollen availability did not significantly explain colony growth or fitness. However, when using habitat maps, the weight gain of colonies, the number of queen cells, and colony survival decreased with increasing distance from the forest. The better explanation of bumblebee performance by forest proximity than by (plant-inferred) pollen availability indicates that other functions of forests than pollen provision were important. The conservation of forests next to agricultural land might help to sustain high populations of these important wild pollinators and enhance their crop pollination services. Combining different mapping approaches might help to further disentangle complex relationships between B. terrestris and their environment in agricultural landscapes.

Download Full-text

Seed Yield and Sulphur Partitioning in Two Inbred Lines of Low and High Glucosinolate Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) and Their Hybrids at Three Levels of Sulphur Supply

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B - Soil & Plant Science ◽

10.1080/09064719908565565 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 184-188

Author(s):

J. Davik ◽

A. K. Bakken

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Oilseed Rape ◽

Seed Yield ◽

Inbred Lines ◽

Brassica Napus L

Download Full-text

Genome Mining and Evaluation of the Biocontrol Potential of Pseudomonas fluorescens BRZ63, a New Endophyte of Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) against Fungal Pathogens

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21228740 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (22) ◽

pp. 8740

Author(s):

Daria Chlebek ◽

Artur Pinski ◽

Joanna Żur ◽

Justyna Michalska ◽

Katarzyna Hupert-Kocurek

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽

Oilseed Rape ◽

Plant Growth Promotion ◽

Fungal Pathogens ◽

Growth Promotion ◽

Genome Mining ◽

Plant Colonization ◽

Brassica Napus L

Endophytic bacteria hold tremendous potential for use as biocontrol agents. Our study aimed to investigate the biocontrol activity of Pseudomonas fluorescens BRZ63, a new endophyte of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) against Rhizoctonia solani W70, Colletotrichum dematium K, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum K2291, and Fusarium avenaceum. In addition, features crucial for biocontrol, plant growth promotion, and colonization were assessed and linked with the genome sequences. The in vitro tests showed that BRZ63 significantly inhibited the mycelium growth of all tested pathogens and stimulated germination and growth of oilseed rape seedlings treated with fungal pathogens. The BRZ63 strain can benefit plants by producing biosurfactants, siderophores, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, and ammonia as well as phosphate solubilization. The abilities of exopolysaccharide production, autoaggregation, and biofilm formation additionally underline its potential to plant colonization and hence biocontrol. The effective colonization properties of the BRZ63 strain were confirmed by microscopy observations of EGFP-expressing cells colonizing the root surface and epidermal cells of Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0. Genome mining identified many genes related to the biocontrol process, such as transporters, siderophores, and other secondary metabolites. All analyses revealed that the BRZ63 strain is an excellent endophytic candidate for biocontrol of various plant pathogens and plant growth promotion.

Download Full-text