Prediction of F1 hybrid performance in Winter Oilseed Rape

The project aims to develop a methodology to identify sequence-based markers that are predictive of crop performance and that can be used to make crop breeding faster and more efficient. To underpin marker-assisted breeding and realize this potential in hybrid rape, molecular markers predictive of hybrid performance are required. High throughput sequencing will be used to simultaneously identify variation in gene sequences and quantify gene expression in the parents of a panel of ~150 hybrids for which performance is known or will be determined in the initial phase of the project. Using a combination of 3 approaches, correlations between sequence-based variation and performance for a range of traits will be identified. Hybrids with new combinations of markers predicted to give enhanced performance will be developed and the performance validated by on-farm trialling. Rapeseed has food, feed and industrial applications, so has enormous market potential as food security and mitigation of climate change are coming to the fore. Hybrid cultivars (i.e. those derived by crossing two inbred parent lines) provide opportunities for boosting income streams along the supply chain. However, the lack of progress in the development of hybrids using conventional breeding approaches makes this an ideal subject for evaluating the applicability of new sequence-based approaches.