Genetic variation for saturated fatty acid content in a collection of European winter oilseed rape material (Brassica napus)

Oil quality is an important issue in oilseed rape breeding programmes. Recently, the seed oil content of saturated fatty acids has received substantial interest, because in a number of industrialized countries dietary recommendations not only limit total fat intake but also intake of saturated fatty acids. The aim of the present study was to analyse the genetic variation for saturated fatty acid content in two sets of modern winter oilseed rape cultivars (Brassica napus L.) tested in field experiments under typical German growing conditions. The results showed highly significant genetic differences among the cultivars for total saturated fatty acid content, which ranged from 6.8% to 8.1%, with a mean of 7.4%. For both sets medium to high genotypic heritabilities were found for most fatty acids and for oil and protein content. Close negative correlations between palmitic acid, the predominant saturated fatty acid, and oleic acid as well as oil content were found.