Early in vitro selection of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) plants with the fertility restorer gene for CMS Shaan 2A via non-destructive molecular analysis of microspore-derived embryos

Cotyledons of 201 microspore-derived oilseed rape (Brassica napus) embryos were analysed for the presence of the cytoplasmic male sterility Shaan 2A restorer gene using the primer pair 3F/4R. In total, 172 plants regenerated and were grown to the generative stage. Among phenotypically non-haploid flowering plants, there was a broad spectrum of different flower types from normally developed flowers to flowers with short anthers, stamens, or deformed flowers with atypically developed floral organs, often with traces of pollen. For this reason, only 115 typically fertile or sterile accessions were selected for further phenotype-genotype comparisons. In 14 plants (12.2%) the phenotype did not match the genotype: two plants were marked as fertile, but without the Rf gene. Vice versa, in 12 sterile plants the Rf gene was determined. Nevertheless, the two fertile plants did not produce any pods after self-pollination. In total, 47 doubled haploid (DH) lines with good seed yield, carrying the Rf gene were harvested.