Yellow seed is a desirable quality trait of the Brassica oilseed species. Previously, several seed coat color genes have been mapped in the Brassica species, but the molecular mechanism is still unknown. In the present investigation, map-based cloning method was used to identify a seed coat color gene, located on A9 in B. rapa. Blast analysis with the Arabidopsis genome showed that there were 2...

In cruciferous plants, self-pollination is prevented by the action of genes situated at the self-incompatibility locus or S-locus. The self-incompatibility reaction is associated with expression of stigma glycoproteins encoded by the S-locus glycoprotein (SLG) gene. Only a few cases of self-compatible plants derived from self-incompatible lines in the crucifer Brassica have been reported. In th...

Pieris brassicae is one of the most serious pests of cultivated crucifers in the world. The present experiment is intended to determine the proteolytic digestion of fifth instar larvae and the effects of four cruciferous hosts to P. brassicae nutritional physiology. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, Brassica oleracea var. capitata, Brassica oleracea var. italica and Brassica oleracea var. viridi...

Brassica plants once incorporated into soil as green manures have recently been shown to have biofumigant properties and have the potential of controlling plant-parasitic nematodes. In Washington State, plant-parasitic nematodes are successfully managed with synthetic nematicides. However, some of the synthetic nematicides became unavailable recently or their supply is limited leaving growers w...

Adhesion of pollen grains to the stigmatic surface is a critical step during sexual reproduction in plants. In Brassica, S locus-related glycoprotein 1 (SLR1), a stigma-specific protein belonging to the S gene family of proteins, has been shown to be involved in this step. However, the identity of the interacting counterpart in pollen and the molecular mechanism of this interaction have not bee...

Harlequin bug (HB), Murgantia histrionica (Hahn), is a pest of cole crops. Alternative control strategies were investigated for control of HB, including trap cropping and systemic neonicotinoid insecticide applications. Potential trap crops, mustard (Brassica juncea ‘Southern Giant Curled’), rapeseed (B. napus ‘Athena’), rapini (B. rapa) and arugula (Eruca sativa) were preferred over collard (B...

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) are a class of dispersed mobile sequences that use RNA as an intermediate in an amplification process called retroposition. The presence-absence of a SINE at a given locus has been used as a meaningful classification criterion to evaluate phylogenetic relations among species. We review here recent developments in the characterisation of plant SINEs and their ...

The genetic basis for virulence in potyviruses is largely unknown. Earlier studies showed that there are two host types of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV); the Brassica/Raphanus (BR)-host type infects both Brassica and Raphanus systemically, whereas the Brassica (B)-host type infects Brassica fully and systemically, but not Raphanus. The genetic basis of this difference has been explored by using th...

With the increasing quantities of Brassica genomic data being entered into the public domain and in preparation for the complete Brassica genome sequencing effort, there is a growing requirement for the structuring and detailed bioinformatic analysis of Brassica genomic information within a user-friendly database. At the Plant Biotechnology Centre, Melbourne, Australia, we have developed a seri...

Flowering time genes have a strong influence on successful reproduction and life cycle adaptation. However, their regulation is highly complex and only well understood in diploid model systems. For crops with a polyploid background from the genus Brassica, data on flowering time gene variation are scarce, although indispensable for modern breeding techniques like marker-assisted breeding. We ha...