Institut für ökologische Chemie, Pflanzenanalytik und Vorratsschutz
In this project, we aim to identify and characterise biotic and abiotic resistances by applying and developing innovative phenotyping, genomic, metabolomic pathway analysis and bioinformatic approaches to systematically exploit existing and novel biodiversity for integrative rapeseed crop improvement. First, we will focus on insect pests which cause major damages to oilseed rape production in Germany: the cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala), the cabbage root fly (Delia radicum), the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus), and the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae). In addition, we will investigate resistance to the black cabbage stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus picitarsis), a newly emerging pest in Germany. Existing and newly-created germplasm sets will initially be screened for insect resistance: these cover a broad range of genetic diversity from the Brassicaceae family including rapeseed cultivars, resynthesized rapeseed lines, interspecific and intergeneric hybrids of rapeseed with Brassica species, and diverse Brassica species and wild relatives. Novel phenotyping resources useful for commercial breeding will be established also by identification of metabolites co-varying with insect resistances, and germplasm screened using bioinformatics-assisted genetic mapping approaches to narrow in on candidate loci. Secondly, identified novel germplasm and candidate genotypes showing resistance or tolerance against one or more of the studied insect pests will also be evaluated for their performance under heat stress and sulfur deficiency, in order to select lines with broad spectrum future breeding potential. Sulfur deficiency not only results in quality and yield losses in oilseed rape, but also in changes in sulfur-containing metabolites such as glutathione and glucosinolates which are critical for defense responses to heat stress and insect pest infestation. The encompassing goal is to identify breeding lines with thermostable insect resistance effective under low cropping intensities. We expect to identify climate-robust resistances against the targeted insect pest species either in germplasm sets which can be directly used for breeding, or in interspecific hybrid material which will need some further improvement for genetic stability and fertility, but which will be an invaluable resource for future rapeseed improvement. Metabolomic pathway analysis will enable us to transfer knowledge also from wild species to B. napus to provide metabolome bio marker and molecular marker assays for use in marker-assisted introgression breeding of oilseed rape by the breeding industry.
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space
