African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 5 (22), pp. 2092-2096, 16 November 2006   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2006 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Isolation of low erucic acid-containing genotype of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea Czern. and Coss.) through F₁ hybrid anther culture

Amitava Roy^# and P. K. Saha^*

Department of Botany, Bose Institute, 93/1; A.P.C. Road; Kolkata 700 009, INDIA.

^#Present address: Department of Botany, Scottish Church College, Kolkata 700 006, INDIA.

*Corresponding authors E-mail: pksaha@bosemain.boseinst.ac.in. Tel: + (033) 2350 2402/03 Ext. 308, lab 321

Accepted 5 October, 2006

Reciprocal crosses were done between two cultivars; cv. RJ15 and cv. RLM198 of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). Anther derived lines designated as A₁ plants, were raised through anther culture from these F₁ hybrid plants. 45% germination was obtained from distinctly shriveled and small A₁ seeds and grown along with the F₂ plants in the same agro-climatic conditions. Subsequently the lines were compared for inheritance pattern between the lines. A normal frequency distribution curve for siliqua per plant was obtained in all the lines reflecting a similar pattern of recombination. Few seeds from the plants of each lines exhibiting high number of siliqua per plant, were isolated for analysis of erucic acid. Three plants in which erucic acid content was lower than the parent cultivars of A₂ generation were identified. This showed that contrasting characters could be obtained from A₂ plants where the traits are oligo or monogenic through anther culture.

Key words:  Anther culture, Brassica juncea, Erucic acid, Gas chromatography, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).