An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome of a variety of Chinese cabbage; sequencing brassica rapa, a close relative of oilseed rape, could allow breeders to develop crops with better drought tolerance. image expired

Scientists working across four continents took part in the project; the majority of the data was gathered in China. The UK's contribution came from scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich and Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire.

The scientists, who were funded in Britain by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), said their research, published on Sunday (28th August) in the journal Nature Genetics, could help improve the efficiency of oilseed rape breeding, as well as that of a host of other important food and oil crops, including turnip, broccoli, sprouts and cabbages.

The family accounts for over 10 per cent of worldwide vegetable and vegetable oil production and, despite their diversity, plants in the family are all closely related. Professor Ian Bancroft, who led the research at the John Innes Centre, said "genes which we found in Brassica rapa will also be found in other brassicas and the insights we gain from having this sequence could be useful for improving everything from plants grown to produce chainsaw oils to the sprouts on your Christmas dinner."

Half of oilseed rape genes 'accessible'

Oilseed rape production has doubled in the last 15 years. It is an unusual hybrid which contains the entire genomes of two other plants: Brassica rapa and another closely related species called Brassica oleracea. By sequencing Brassica rapa, researchers said they will be able to access half of oilseed rape's genes without having to wrestle with its large and complicated genome.

Professor Bancroft explained, "Oilseed rape is the second most important oil crop in the world and the most important in Europe. Sequencing its genes will provide breeders with the tools to improve the efficiency of developing new varieties, but this is difficult because it has a really complicated genome. Thankfully, because it is a hybrid, nature has already divided up the oilseed rape genome into two more manageable chunks, one of which we have now sequenced."

Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, spoke of the difficulties faced by the research team, "Plants have a tendency to multiply their genomes as they evolve. This means that many important agricultural crops like wheat, potato and oilseed rape have much larger and more complex genomes than most animals, including humans."

He continued, "Helping breeders produce new varieties of these staple crops will be essential to ensuring our future food security, so scientists must use their ingenuity to find ways to overcome the challenges posed by these massive genomes. This research shows what can be achieved by applying the latest technology and by combining the expertise of scientists across the world."

It is hoped the breakthrough will allow breeders to develop innovative traits for rape crops, including varieties offering improved yields, disease resistance and drought and temperature tolerance to better cope with climate change.