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The vegetative development of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) passes through seedling, rosette, folding and heading stages. Leaves that form the rosette are large andmostly flat. In the following developmental stages, the plants produce leaves that curve inward to produce the leafy head. ManymicroRNAs and their target genes have been described participating in leaf development and leaf curvature. The aimof this study is to investigate the role of miRNA-regulated genes in the transition from the rosette to the heading stage. We compared the miRNA and gene abundances between emerging rosette and heading leaves. To remove transcripts (miRNAs and genes) whose regulation was most likely associated with plant age rather than the change from rosette to heading stage, we utilized a non-heading collard green (B. oleracea var. acephala) morphotype as control. This resulted in 33 DEMs and 1 998 DEGs with likely roles in the transition fromrosette to heading stage in cabbage. Among these 1 998 DEGs, we found enriched GO terms related to DNA-binding transcription factor activity, transcription regulator activity, iron ion binding, and photosynthesis. We predicted the target genes of these 33 DEMs and focused on the subset that was differentially expressed (1 998 DEGs) between rosette and heading stage leaves to construct miRNA-target gene interaction networks. Our main finding is a role for miR396b-5p targeting two Arabidopsis thaliana orthologues of GROWTH REGULATING FACTORs 3 (GRF3) and 4 (GRF4) in pointed cabbage head formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an economically important vegetable crop grown in tropical parts of the world. In this study, a high-density linkage map of M. charantia was constructed through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology using F2:3 mapping population generated from the cross DBGy-201 × Pusa Do Mausami. About 2013 high-quality SNPs were assigned on a total of 20 linkage groups (LGs) spanning over 2329.2 CM with an average genetic distance of 1.16 CM. QTL analysis was performed for six major yield-contributing traits such as fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, fruit flesh thickness, number of fruits per plant and yield per plant. These six quantitative traits were mapped with 19 QTLs (9 QTLs with LOD > 3) using composite interval mapping (CIM). Among 19 QTLs, 12 QTLs derived from 'Pusa Do Mausami' revealed a negative additive effect when its allele increased trait score whereas 7 QTLs derived from 'DBGy-201' revealed a positive additive effect when its allele trait score increased. The phenotypic variation (R2%) elucidated by these QTLs ranged from 0.09% (fruit flesh thickness) on LG 14 to 32.65% (fruit diameter) on LG 16 and a total of six major QTLs detected. Most QTLs detected in the present study were located relatively very close, maybe due to the high correlation among the traits. This information will serve as a significant basis for marker-assisted selection and molecular breeding in bitter gourd crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the nature and magnitude of genetic diversity in long day onion germplasm by using the principal component analysis and single linkage cluster analysis an experiment was carried out with 34 onion genotypes. High coefficient of variation with wide range in traits indicated an appreciable variability in germplasm. Genotypes were classified into seven principal components having Eigen value > 1, cumulatively accounted for 83.87% of total variability. Principal Component - I contributed for 24.73% of total variation for followed by principal component-II (15.27%). PC-I had high positive loading for bulb weight (0.401), marketable yield (0.338), total bulb yield (0.401) and PC-II had high positive loading for plant height (0.412), PC-III for high T.S.S. (0.276) PC -IV for A grade bulbs (0.436), PC-V for polar diameter of bulbs (0.514), PC-IV negatively loaded with purple blotch (-0.461) and PC-VII for narrow neck thickness (-0.515). Plotting PC-I aganist PC-II differenciated CITH-O-13, CITH-O-4, CITH-O-22, CITH-O-19, CITH-O-9, CITH-O-6 and CITH-O2 as most divergent genotype. On the basis of single linkage cluster means cluster-I was most importent for average bulb weight, minimum bolters, high marketble bulb percentage high marketable and total bulb yield whereas cluster -II was important for maximum nuber of leaves/plant and minimum neck thicknes. Highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluter II and Cluster-I(873.5%).Most divergent genotypes with high inter cluter distance could be the most appropriate parents for crop impovement in onion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Acquisition of external phosphorus (P) and optimisation of internal P are essential for plant growth and development, and insufficient availability of P in soils is a major challenge in agriculture. Members of the purple acid phosphatase (PAP) family of enzymes are candidates for increasing P use efficiency. Herein, we identified PAP homologs in the genomes of 10 vegetable species, along with Arabidopsis thaliana and Amborella trichopoda as references, to provide fundamental knowledge for this family. Results: Phylogenetic analysis of protein sequences revealed nine distinct clades, indicating that functional differentiation of extant PAPs was established prior to the emergence of early angiosperms, and conserved among homologs in each clade. Analysis of transcript abundance in different tissues (root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruit) and following phosphates (Pi) starvation treatments from published RNA-seq transcriptome datasets facilitated comprehensive evaluation of expression patterns, and some groups of tissue-specific and Pi starvation-induced PAPs were characterised. Conserved motifs identified from upstream sequences of homologs that are highly expressed in particular tissues or following starvation treatment suggests that divergence in PAP gene expression is associated with cis-acting elements in promoters. Conclusions: The genome-wide analysis of PAP enzyme structure and transcriptional expression patterns advance our understanding of PAP family in vegetables genomes. Therefore, PAP homologs with known enzyme structures and expression profiles could serve as targets for plant breeding and/or genetic engineering programs to improve P acquisition and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeds of P-8 variety of okra were treated with different mutagens (gamma rays and EMS) to create novel variation and to modify existing plant type. Eleven doses of gamma rays and EMS were used to determine the lethal dose. After calculation of lethal dose, three doses (lethal dose, one lower dose and one higher dose) were used to generate variability in M2. The results indicated that all the mutagenic treatments were not equally effective in generating variability. Out of different gamma rays and EMS treatments, 65kR+1.2% EMS dose was highly effective for achieving desired results. This treatment was superior for fruits per plant, average fruit weight and fruit yield per plant. All these mutants were of immense practical significance as these can be used directly as new variety with improved agronomic traits or can be a novel source for these traits in future breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important vegetable cultivated in Asia, Africa and southern Europe and, following tomato and pepper, ranks as the third most important solanaceous vegetable crop. The Dof (DNA-binding with one finger) family is a group of plant-specific transcription factors that play important roles in plant growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The genes in the Dof family have been identified and analysed in many plant species, but the information remains lacking for eggplant. In the present study, we identified 29 SmeDof members from the eggplant genome database, which were classifed into nine subgroups. The phylogeny, gene structure, conserved motifs and homologous genes of SmeDof genes were comprehensively investigated. Subsequently, we analysed the expression patterns of SmeDof genes in six different eggplant subspecies. The results provide novel insights into the family of SmeDof genes and will promote the understanding of the structure and function of Dof genes in eggplant, and the role of Dof expression during stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassica rapa is a model species for agronomic, ecological, evolutionary, and translational studies. Here, we describe high-density SNP discovery and genetic map construction for a B. rapa recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from field collected RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data. This high-density genotype data enables the detection and correction of putative genome misassemblies and accurate assignment of scaffold sequences to their likely genomic locations. These assembly improvements represent 7.1-8.0% of the annotated B. rapa genome. We demonstrate how using this new resource leads to a significant improvement for QTL analysis over the current low-density genetic map. Improvements are achieved by the increased mapping resolution and by having known genomic coordinates to anchor the markers for candidate gene discovery. These new molecular resources and improvements in the genome annotation will benefit the Brassi-caceae genomics community and may help guide other communities in fine-tuning genome annotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the frame of modern agriculture facing the predicted increase of population and general environmental changes, the securement of high quality food remains a major challenge to deal with. Vegetable crops include a large number of species, characterized by multiple geographical origins, large genetic variability and diverse reproductive features. Due to their nutritional value, they have an important place in human diet. In recent years, many crop genomes have been sequenced permitting the identification of genes and superior alleles associated with desirable traits. Furthermore, innovative biotechnological approaches allow to take a step forward towards the development of new improved cultivars harboring precise genome modifications. Sequence-based knowledge coupled with advanced biotechnologies is supporting the widespread application of new plant breeding techniques to enhance the success in modification and transfer of useful alleles into target varieties. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 system, zinc-finger nucleases, and transcription activator-like effector nucleases represent the main methods available for plant genome engineering through targeted modifications. Such technologies, however, require efficient transformation protocols as well as extensive genomic resources and accurate knowledge before they can be efficiently exploited in practical breeding programs. In this review, we revise the state of the art in relation to availability of such scientific and technological resources in various groups of vegetables, describe genome editing results obtained so far and discuss the implications for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was carried out with a view to estimate, combining ability and gene effects in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.). The experimental material comprised of 37 genotypes including 8 parents, 28 hybrids and one standard check (Surati Ravaiya) was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications at Regional Horticultural Research Station (R.H.R.S.), Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat during Rabi 2015-16. Combining ability analysis revealed that both additive as well as non-additive gene effects were important in the inheritance of all the traits studied. However, magnitude of variances due to sca was comparatively larger than those of gca for most of the economic traits indicated preponderance of non-additive gene action. Among the parents, JBGR-1, NSR-1 and JBL-08-8 were good general combiners for majority of the traits. The crosses viz., AB-09-1 × AB-12-10, AB-09-1 × AB-08-5, AB-08-5 × JBL-08-8 and GJB-3 × AB-12-10 showed higher order sca effects in addition to performance for fruit yield and its component characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onion (Allium cepa L.) is widely planted worldwide as a valuable vegetable crop. The scales of an onion bulb are a modified type of leaf. The one-layer-cell epidermis of onion scales is commonly used as a model experimental material in botany and molecular biology. The lower epidermis (LE) and upper epidermis (UE) of onion scales display obvious differences in microscopic structure, cell differentiation and pigment synthesis; however, associated proteomic differences are unclear. LE and UE can be easily sampled as single-layer-cell tissues for comparative proteomic analysis. In this study, a proteomic approach based on 2-DE and mass spectrometry (MS) was applied to compare LE and UE of fleshy scales from yellow and red onions. We identified 47 differential abundant protein spots (representing 31 unique proteins) between LE and UE in red and yellow onions. These proteins are mainly involved in pigment synthesis, stress response, and cell division. Particularly, the differentially accumulated chalcone-flavanone isomerase and flavone O-methyltransferase 1-like in LE may result in the differences in the onion scale color between red and yellow onions. Moreover, stress-related proteins abundantly accumulated in both LE and UE. In addition, the differential accumulation of UDP-arabinopyranose mutase 1-like protein and β-1,3-glucanase in the LE may be related to the different cell sizes between LE and UE of the two types of onion. The data derived from this study provides new insight into the differences in differentiation and developmental processes between onion epidermises. This study may also make a contribution to onion breeding, such as improving resistances and changing colors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and reproducible micropropagation protocol of Solanecio biafrae (Oliv. & Hiern) C. Jeffrey has been developed from nodal stem segments. Shoot development was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with benzylaminopurine (BAP) alone and in combination with zeatin and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Elongated shoots were rooted in the presence of zeatin or 3-indole-butyric acid (IBA) alone or in combinations. The highest number of explants forming shoots (100%) as well as the highest number of shoots per explant (3.4) and the longest shoots (22 mm) were recorded on medium containing 4.0 mg·dm−3 BAP, 2.0 mg·dm−3 NAA, and 1.0 mg·dm−3 zeatin. About 76% of shoots formed roots on half-strength MS medium free of plant growth regulators. The best root formation (approximately 88%) was recorded on the medium containing 1.0-1.5 mg·dm−3 IBA. The micropropagated shoots with well-developed roots were efficiently acclimatized under greenhouse conditions. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) amplification products were monomorphic in micropropagated plants and similar to those of mother plant showing their genetic uniformity. This is the first report of micropropagation of S. biafrae, which will facilitate in vitro mass propagation, conservation, and germplasm exchange of this endangered African vegetable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty genotypes of okra were evaluated in one location for two years at Chatha, Jammu during 2009-10 and 2010-11. The objective was to study the genetic variability between various economically important traits for the purpose of genetic improvement. The estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters indicating the less environment influences. The results showed variation in all genotypes and characters. Characters such as seed yield per plant and number of fruits per plant showed high genotypic coefficient of variation, heritability and genetic advance which indicates that selection of these characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-heading Chinese cabbage (NHCC), belonging to Brassica, is an important leaf vegetable in Asia. Although genetic analyses have been performed through conventional selection and breeding efforts, the domestication history of NHCC and the genetics underlying its morphological diversity remain unclear. Thus, the reliable molecular markers representative of the whole genome are required for molecular-assisted selection in NHCC. Results: A total of 20,836 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected in NHCC, containing repeat types from mononucleotide to nonanucleotide. The average density was 62.93 SSRs/Mb. In gene regions, 5,435 SSRs were identified in 4,569 genes. A total of 5,008 primer pairs were designed, and 74 were randomly selected for validation. Among these, 60 (81.08%) were polymorphic in 18 Cruciferae. The number of polymorphic bands ranged from two to five, with an average of 2.70 for each primer. The average values of the polymorphism information content, observed heterozygosity, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and Shannon's information index were 0.2970, 0.4136, 0.5706, and 0.5885, respectively. Four clusters were classified according to the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average cluster analysis of 18 genotypes. In addition, a total of 1,228,979 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the NHCC through a comparison with the genome of Chinese cabbage, and the average SNP density in the whole genome was 4.33/Kb. The number of SNPs ranged from 341,939 to 591,586 in the 10 accessions, and the average heterozygous SNPs ratio was ~42.53%. All analyses showed these markers were high quality and reliable. Therefore, they could be used in the construction of a linkage map and for genetic diversity studies for NHCC in future. Conclusions: This is the first systematic and comprehensive analysis and identification of SSRs in NHCC and 17 species. The development of a large number of SNP and SSR markers was successfully achieved for NHCC. These novel markers are valuable for constructing genetic linkage maps, comparative genome analysis, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association studies, and marker-assisted selection in NHCC breeding system research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty five vegetable amaranth genotypes were evaluated to investigate the antioxidant vitamins and minerals composition and its genetic variability in a RCBD with three replications at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in Bangladesh during kharif1 season 2012 and 2013, respectively. Significant Mean Sum of Square revealed a wide range of genotypic variability among traits. Vegetable amaranth was rich in iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium and potassium. Ten strains gave the best (more than 5 kg) foliage yield with rich in antioxidant minerals and vitamins. Selection of these genotypes would be economically useful for antioxidant vitamins, minerals and yield aspects. On the other hand, eight genotypes had high amounts of antioxidant vitamins and minerals with below average foliage yield and could be utilized as donor parents for introgression of genes in vitamins and minerals deficient lines. Considering genetic parameter six traits i e., Fe, Zn, Mn, ascorbic acid, number of leaves plant and foliage yield would be selected for the improvement of vegetable amaranth genotypes under study. However, correlation study revealed that selection based on Fe, Mn, ascorbic acid and number of leaves per plant could lead to increase the foliage yield of vegetable amaranth strains. Insignificant genotypic correlations between foliage yield with most of the antioxidant vitamins and minerals traits indicating that selection for high vitamins and minerals content might be possible without compromising yield loss. Based on mean, genetic parameters and correlation coefficient values, five vegetable amaranth genotypes i. e., AA19, AA10, AA3, AA24 and AA7 might be selected as high vitamin and minerals containing high yielding vegetable amaranth varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planting date influences grain soybean yield and quality, but no information is available regarding the responses of seed chemical compositions to delayed planting date in vegetable soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Three vegetable soybean cultivars, CAS No.l, Tai 292, and 121, were planted on 3 May, 15 May, 27 May, and 8 June in the field during the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replications on a typical Mollisol (black soil). We found that late planting reduced fresh pod yield in all cultivars and years. The reduction in fresh pod yield to delayed planting was significantly correlated with the reduction in the number of two-seed pods per plant. Cultivars with strong capacity in retaining more two-seed pods may possess an advantage if planting is delayed. Planting after 15 May increased seed protein content by 4.1% to 7.5% and reduced oil content by 2.4% to 26.3% for different cultivars. The contents of free amino acid, sum of fructose and glucose, raffinose, and stachyose in seed were also increased by late planting. By contrast, late planting reduced the seed sucrose content ranging from 7.6% to 45.5% for the different cultivars. Planting on 3 May usually produced the greatest fresh pod yield and highest seed sucrose content. These results demonstrated that late planting after early May might have a negative impact on the eating quality of vegetable soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about genetic diversity and combining abilities of sugar beet parental components are of a great importance for hybrid creation. The aim of this research was to evaluate genetic diversity among sugar beet pollinators from different breeding programs and their combining abilities for main root traits of sugar beet, root weight, sugar content and sugar yield. As plant material were used eight pollinators originating from three different USDA-ARS breeding programs and four from Institute of field and vegetable crops Novi Sad. The analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range test revealed significant differences (p = 0.05) among pollinators for all investigated traits. Pollinator CR10 differs from all others in terms of quantitative traits and in terms of combining ability. Despite small root weight CR10 had significantly positive GCA for that trait and showed that genotypes with small root should not be automatically discarded. Pollinators from Institute of field and vegetable crops used in this research had negative GCA for root weight and should be used only as hosts for introduction of new germplasm in future breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several studies being conducted by scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to make genetic improvements in fruits and vegetables. Plant geneticist Kathy Haynes of Beltsville, Maryland is breeding potatoes with higher levels of carotenoids. Resistance to Phytophthora late blight and Streptomyces scab is the focus of the study being undertaken by plant pathologists Rick Jones, Ken Deahl and Leslie Wanner.

Post-harvest ozone application has recently been shown to inhibit the onset of senescence symptoms on fleshy fruit and vegetables; however, the exact mechanism of action is yet unknown. To characterize the impact of ozone on the post-harvest performance of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. ‘Hayward’), fruits were cold stored (0 °C, 95% relative humidity) in a commercial ethylene-free room for 1, 3, or 5 months in the absence (control) or presence of ozone (0.3 μl l−1) and subsequently were allowed to ripen at a higher temperature (20 °C), herein defined as the shelf-life period, for up to 12 days. Ozone blocked ethylene production, delayed ripening, and stimulated antioxidant and anti-radical activities of fruits. Proteomic analysis using 1D-SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry identified 102 kiwifruit proteins during ripening, which are mainly involved in energy, protein metabolism, defence, and cell structure. Ripening induced protein carbonylation in kiwifruit but this effect was depressed by ozone. A set of candidate kiwifruit proteins that are sensitive to carbonylation was also discovered. Overall, the present data indicate that ozone improved kiwifruit post-harvest behaviour, thus providing a first step towards understanding the active role of this molecule in fruit ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The conservation of plant and animal genetic heritage is not a purpose in itself, but it represents the sine qua non condition for practicing a sustainable agriculture and to ensure nutrition and food security on long-term. Our research focused on identifying the areas with the richest genetic diversity of vegetables in Transylvania, Romania, as well as the main vulnerabilities related to seed production for the local vegetables. Our trips included 210 locations where 338 small seed producers were surveyed. The questionnaire method with fixed questions and undisguised multiple-choices was used. A number of 316 out of 565 cultivars taken into study have been proven to be authentic and valuable landraces, meaning 55.9%. In Transylvania, the richest genetic diversity of vegetables is found in the counties of Maramures, Bistrita-Nasaud and Hunedoara—where the cooperativization was lower before the year 1989. The most important risk in losing vegetable landraces is the old age of small growers (68.4%). However, it is encouraging that many NGOs interested in identifying, conserving and promoting local varieties have emerged in the last decade. Therefore, so-called "seed houses" have been set up to facilitate the exchange of seeds, and on the other hand, the expansion of organic farming requires local varieties that are better adapted to harsh environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the genus Capsicum are of great economic importance, including both wild forms and cultivars of peppers and chilies. The high number of potentially informative characteristics that can be identified through next-generation sequencing technologies gave a huge boost to evolutionary and comparative genomic research in higher plants. Here, we determined the complete nucleotide sequences of the plastomes of eight Capsicum species (eleven genotypes), representing the three main taxonomic groups in the genus and estimated molecular diversity. Comparative analyses highlighted a wide spectrum of variation, ranging from point mutations to small/medium size insertions/deletions (InDels), with accD, ndhB, rpl20, ycf1, and ycf2 being the most variable genes. The global pattern of sequence variation is consistent with the phylogenetic signal. Maximum-likelihood tree estimation revealed that Capsicum chacoense is sister to the baccatum complex. Divergence and positive selection analyses unveiled that protein-coding genes were generally well conserved, but we identified 25 positive signatures distributed in six genes involved in different essential plastid functions, suggesting positive selection during evolution of Capsicum plastomes. Finally, the identified sequence variation allowed us to develop simple PCR-based markers useful in future work to discriminate species belonging to different Capsicum complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts, above all, to provide a summary, on a strictly scientific basis, about the strategies of conservation of autochthonous agrobiodiversity followed in Italy. A special focus is dedicated to vegetables and, therefore, could represent a contribution to improve the national strategy for the safeguarding of its agrobiodiversity in general. The paper offers also an outlook on the most critical factors of ex situ conservation and actions which need to be taken. Some examples of 'novel' recovered neglected crops are also given. Finally a case study is proposed on 'Mugnolicchio', a neglected race of Brassica oleracea L., cultivated in Altamura (Ba) in southern Italy, that might be considered as an early step in the evolution of broccoli (B. oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) like 'Mugnoli' another neglected race described from Salento (Apulia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayer CropScience is a leader in the oilseed rape seeds business with a 2013 market share of 50% in Canada, based on the creation and use of a unique hybridization system enabling the development of high-yielding canola (B.napus) InVigor® hybrids. For the European markets, Bayer is developing non-transgenic hybrids that will be complemented with differentiating traits. To this end, a highly effective mutagenesis-based and omics-directed reverse genetics platform was established which enables the creation of novel productivity traits in canola.The reverse genetics process involves three major steps described in the following figure. The selection of relevant homoeologs is facilitated by Bayer's B.napus genome sequence and transcript atlas. The genome sequence allows the in silico identification of functional homoeologs and the transcript atlas enables to prioritize on homoeologs that are highly expressed in the right tissues. A new trait is created by stacking relevant mutant alleles in a single line. Bayer CropScience is using its canola reverse genetics platform to improve certain canola characteristics including pod shattering, grain yield and oil composition and to develop traits such as herbicide tolerance. Pod shatter reduction was the first trait developed with the platform. A first pod shatter-reduced InVigor hybrid, L140P, was commercially grown in Canada during the 2014 summer season. Bayer CropScience has established and is successfully using a this biotech-based platform for the improvement of the productivity of canola. The resulting traits do not require regulation and can be deployed in all continents. The major limitation of reverse genetics is that the scope of modification is limited to the crops’ own gene content and the expression levels of these genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]