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In the Brassica genus, we find both diploid species (one genome) and allotetraploid species (two different genomes) but no naturally occurring hexaploid species (three different genomes, AABBCC). Although hexaploids can be produced via human intervention, these neo-polyploids have quite unstable genomes and usually suffer from severe genome reshuffling. Whether these genome rearrangements continue in later generations and whether genomic arrangements follow similar, reproducible patterns between different lineages is still unknown. We crossed Brassica hexaploids resulting from different species combinations to produce five F1 hybrids and analyzed the karyotypes of the parents and the F1 hybrids, as well as allele segregation in a resulting test-cross population via molecular karyotyping using SNP array genotyping. Although some genomic regions were found to be more likely to be duplicated, deleted, or rearranged, a consensus pattern was not shared between genotypes. Brassica hexaploids had a high tolerance for fixed structural rearrangements, but which rearrangements occur and become fixed over many generations does not seem to show either strong reproducibility or to indicate selection for stability. On average, we observed 10 de novo chromosome rearrangements contributed almost equally from both parents to the F1 hybrids. At the same time, the F1 hybrid meiosis produced on average 8.6 new rearrangements. Hence, the increased heterozygosity in the F1 hybrid did not significantly improve genome stability in our hexaploid hybrids and might have had the opposite effect. However, hybridization between lineages was readily achieved and may be exploited for future genetics and breeding purposes.

Extensive exotic introgression could significantly enlarge the genetic distance of hybrid parental populations to promote strong heterosis. The goal of this study was to investigate whether genome-wide prediction can support pre-breeding in populations with exotic introgressions. We evaluated seed yield, seed yield related traits and seed quality traits of 363 hybrids of Brassica napus (AACC) derived from two parental populations divergent on massive exotic introgression of related species in three environments. The hybrids presented strong heterosis on seed yield, which was much higher than other investigated traits. Five genomic best linear unbiased prediction models considering the exotic introgression and different marker effects (additive, dominance, and epistatic effects) were constructed to test the prediction ability for different traits of the hybrids. The analysis showed that the trait complexity, exotic introgression, genetic relationship between the training set and testing set, training set size, and environments affected the prediction ability. The models with best prediction ability for different traits varied. However, relatively high prediction ability (e.g., 0.728 for seed yield) was also observed when the simplest models were used, excluding the effects of the special exotic introgression and epistasis effect by 5-fold cross validation, which would simplify the prediction for the trait with complex architecture for hybrids with exotic introgression. The results provide novel insights and strategies for genome-wide prediction of hybrids between genetically distinct parent groups with exotic introgressions.

In the Brassica genus, we find both diploid species (one genome) and allotetraploid species (two different genomes) but no naturally occurring hexaploid species (three different genomes, AABBCC). Although hexaploids can be produced via human intervention, these neo-polyploids have quite unstable genomes and usually suffer from severe genome reshuffling. Whether these genome rearrangements continue in later generations and whether genomic arrangements follow similar, reproducible patterns between different lineages is still unknown. We crossed Brassica hexaploids resulting from different species combinations to produce five F

Summary Brassica napus (AACC, 2n = 38) is an important oilseed crop grown worldwide. However, little is known about the population evolution of this species, the genomic difference between its major genetic groups, such as European and Asian rapeseed, and the impacts of historical large‐scale introgression events on this young tetraploid. In this study, we reported the de novo assembly of the genome sequences of an Asian rapeseed (B. napus), Ningyou 7, and its four progenitors and compared these genomes with other available genomic data from diverse European and Asian cultivars. Our results showed that Asian rapeseed originally derived from European rapeseed but subsequently significantly diverged, with rapid genome differentiation after hybridization and intensive local selective breeding. The first historical introgression of B. rapa dramatically broadened the allelic pool but decreased the deleterious variations of Asian rapeseed. The second historical introgression of the double‐low traits of European rapeseed (canola) has reshaped Asian rapeseed into two groups (double‐low and double‐high), accompanied by an increase in genetic load in the double‐low group. This study demonstrates distinctive genomic footprints and deleterious SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) variants for local adaptation by recent intra‐ and interspecies introgression events and provides novel insights for understanding the rapid genome evolution of a young allopolyploid crop.

To explore the clinicopathological features and analyze the relevant risk factors and short-term renal outcomes of acute tubular injury (ATI) patients.A total of 83 patients with biopsy-proven ATI were included in this retrospective cohort study. Clinical characteristic and histological feature data were collected, and renal recovery at 1 month postbiopsy was recorded.The severity of renal dysfunction, percentage of acute tubular lesions, interstitial inflammation and fibrosis of oliguric ATI patients were all significantly higher than those of nonoliguric patients. In the subgroup analysis of the oliguric patients, the serum creatinine and urinary microalbumin levels, severity of epithelial cell degeneration and cast formation of patients in the polyuric phase at biopsy were significantly lower than those of patients in the oliguric phase. A total of 59 patients had 1-month follow-up records, and complete renal recovery was observed in 42 patients. In the multivariate analysis, the total acute tubular injury area at biopsy was the most important independent risk factor for poor renal outcomes.Oliguric ATI patients had severe clinicopathological conditions. The severity of tubular lesions seriously influenced renal function recovery, demonstrating the importance of renal biopsy in assessing the prognosis of patients with kidney disease.

Summary De novo allopolyploidization in Brassica provides a very successful model for reconstructing polyploid genomes using progenitor species and relatives to broaden crop gene pools and understand genome evolution after polyploidy, interspecific hybridization and exotic introgression. B. napus (AACC), the major cultivated rapeseed species and the third largest oilseed crop in the world, is a young Brassica species with a limited genetic base resulting from its short history of domestication, cultivation, and intensive selection during breeding for target economic traits. However, the gene pool of B. napus has been significantly enriched in recent decades that has been benefit from worldwide effects by the successful introduction of abundant subgenomic variation and novel genomic variation via intraspecific, interspecific and intergeneric crosses. An important question in this respect is how to utilize such variation to breed crops adapted to the changing global climate. Here, we review the genetic diversity, genome structure, and population‐level differentiation of the B. napus gene pool in relation to known exotic introgressions from various species of the Brassicaceae, especially those elucidated by recent genome‐sequencing projects. We also summarize progress in gene cloning, trait‐marker associations, gene editing, molecular marker‐assisted selection and genome‐wide prediction, and describe the challenges and opportunities of these techniques as molecular platforms to exploit novel genomic variation and their value in the rapeseed gene pool. Future progress will accelerate the creation and manipulation of genetic diversity with genomic‐based improvement, as well as provide novel insights into the neo‐domestication of polyploid crops with novel genetic diversity from reconstructed genomes.

Summary Introgression of genomic variation between and within related crop species is a significant evolutionary approach for population differentiation, genome reorganization and trait improvement. Using the Illumina Infinium Brassica 60K SNP array, we investigated genomic changes in a panel of advanced generation new-type Brassica napus breeding lines developed from hundreds of interspecific crosses between 122 Brassica rapa and 74 Brassica carinata accessions, and compared them with representative accessions of their three parental species. The new-type B. napus population presented rich genetic diversity and abundant novel genomic alterations, consisting of introgressions from B. rapa and B. carinata, novel allelic combinations, reconstructed linkage disequilibrium patterns and haplotype blocks, and frequent deletions and duplications (non-randomly distributed), particularly in the C subgenome. After a much shorter, but very intensive, selection history compared to traditional B. napus, a total of 15 genomic regions with strong selective sweeps and 112 genomic regions with putative signals of selective sweeps were identified. Some of these regions were associated with important agronomic traits that were selected for during the breeding process, while others were potentially associated with restoration of genome stability and fertility after interspecific hybridization. Our results demonstrate how a novel method for population-based crop genetic improvement can lead to rapid adaptation, restoration of genome stability and positive responses to artificial selection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Key message A comprehensive linkage atlas for seed yield in rapeseed. Abstract Most agronomic traits of interest for crop improvement (including seed yield) are highly complex quantitative traits controlled by numerous genetic loci, which brings challenges for comprehensively capturing associated markers/genes. We propose that multiple trait interactions underlie complex traits such as seed yield, and that considering these component traits and their interactions can dissect individual quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects more effectively and improve yield predictions. Using a segregating rapeseed (Brassica napus) population, we analyzed a large set of trait data generated in 19 independent experiments to investigate correlations between seed yield and other complex traits, and further identified QTL in this population with a SNP-based genetic bin map. A total of 1904 consensus QTL accounting for 22 traits, including 80 QTL directly affecting seed yield, were anchored to the B. napus reference sequence. Through trait association analysis and QTL meta-analysis, we identified a total of 525 indivisible QTL that either directly or indirectly contributed to seed yield, of which 295 QTL were detected across multiple environments. A majority (81.5%) of the 525 QTL were pleiotropic. By considering associations between traits, we identified 25 yield-related QTL previously ignored due to contrasting genetic effects, as well as 31 QTL with minor complementary effects. Implementation of the 525 QTL in genomic prediction models improved seed yield prediction accuracy. Dissecting the genetic and phenotypic interrelationships underlying complex quantitative traits using this method will provide valuable insights for genomics-based crop improvement.

Background Anthocyanins are the main pigments in leaves, flowers and fruits, performing diverse biological functions in plants and exhibiting benefits for human health. The purple-leaved accession of B. carinata was used to study the biosynthetic mechanism of anthocyanins in this study. To elucidate the mechanisms of anthocyanin accumulation in the purple-leaved line, we employed a proteomic approach based on an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based technique to investigate the protein expression profile of the purple-leaved line of B. carinata in comparison with that of the green-leaved line.Results In total, 4,631 proteins were identified, of which 285 exhibited significant changes in abundance between BC-G01 and BC-P01. Of the 285 DEPs, 175 are upregulated and 110 are downregulated in the leaves of the purple-leaved line compared with the leaves of the green-leaved line. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that anthocyanin biosynthesis was the most significantly elevated metabolic process, containing three DEPs corresponding to two genes UGT75C1 and UGT79B1 . UGT75C1 and UGT79B1 , encoding anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside: 2’’-O-xylosyltransferase and anthocyanin 5-O-glucosyltransferase, respectively, play an important role in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins.Conclusions The exact functions of these proteins remain to be examined. Nevertheless, our study paves the way for understanding the genetic regulatory mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation in B. carinata .

A petiole inoculation technique was adapted for evaluating resistance of oilseed Brassica napus seedlings to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In the first of four experiments, four isolates of S. sclerotiorum were tested, two originating from soybean and two from B. napus. In all, 10 to 47 B. napus accessions were inoculated in the seedling stage and responses to isolates were evaluated using days to wilt (DW) and a lesion phenotype index (LP). There were no significant differences in virulence among the four isolates for DW and only slight differences for LP. However, significant differences (P < 0.0001) were observed among the B. napus accessions for DW and LP in this experiment and in subsequent experiments using one isolate. The responses of accessions were consistent among experiments and among evaluation criteria. Higher levels of resistance were found among winter-type than spring-type accessions, and among rapeseed-quality compared with canola-quality accessions. The most resistant accessions identified also were the most resistant when inoculated at the flowering stage. Terminal stems were inoculated immediately below the lowest flower and stem lesion length (SLL) was used to characterize the interaction phenotype of each accession. The petiole inoculation technique can be used successfully to differentiate oilseed B. napus germ plasm for response to S. sclerotiorum. This inoculation technique and the sources of resistance identified in this study may be used to determine inheritance resistance to S. sclerotiorum and for improving oilseed B. napus cultivars for resistance to this important pathogen.

Turbulence is common in daily activities, both naturally and industrially. However, it is not well understood on the microscopic level because there is a lack of suitable quantification techniques especially for multi-phase particulate systems such as flotation pulps. In this paper, the different quantification techniques which have been used to characterise turbulence in the literature have been reviewed in terms of their basic principles, system structure, the range of application and limitations. Optical techniques such as Laser Doppler Anemometry and Particle Image Velocimetry can produce accurate measurement results with high spatial and temporal resolution, but their applications are limited to transparent flows. Hot wire probes have high spatial and temporal resolution in turbulence quantification, but they are susceptible to environmental factors. Conductivity probe, Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) and piezoelectric sensor are techniques that can quantify turbulence in multiphase flows, but their spatial resolutions are limited. Particle Tracking Velocimetry can reveal particle trajectories in multiphase flows; it can also measure velocity fluctuation. Positron Emission Particle Tracking cannot be used to quantify turbulence although it can also be used to determine the Lagrangian trajectory of particles. For turbulence quantification in three phase flows, piezoelectric sensor, ERT and conductivity probe require further development.

Turbulence is an important factor that affects flotation performance, which needs to be incorporated into flotation models. However, the measurement of turbulence in industrial flotation cells is difficult because of the highly abrasive and aggressive slurry environment. This has made the development and validation of models incorporating turbulence difficult. The development of a measurement methodology based on the piezoelectric vibration sensor (PVS) has enabled the measurement of kinetic energy fluctuation in flotation cells. In the study presented in this paper, the PVS was first applied to a sugary water-air two phase mixture in a 3 m3 pilot flotation cell, and then to a Metso RCS 3 m3 flotation test rig with magnetite/silica slurry and air, to collect turbulence data. An orthogonal experimental design was used for both sets of tests, with different impeller speeds, air flow rates and cell level (aspect ratio) as input hydrodynamic parameters. From the measurement data collected in the two cells, the volume of the turbulence zone could be modelled; from this, the turbulence distribution in the flotation cells could be predicted. The models were validated by comparing the predicted with the experimental results.

Flotation is one of the most important primary separation processes in the minerals industry. As far as the mechanism of flotation is concerned, turbulence is one of the key parameters determining flotation performance because it affects three main processes: suspension of particles, air dispersion and particle-bubble collision, attachment and detachment. To study turbulence in industrial flotation cells, both numerical simulation and experimental measurement can be performed. Development of turbulence models and validation of Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) numerical simulation need experimental data obtained from turbulence measurement techniques that can be used in the three phase abrasive opaque environment present in a flotation cell. In this paper, the different techniques which have been used to characterise turbulence in the literature are reviewed in terms of their basic principles, system structure, range of application and limitations. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA), Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Constant Temperature Anemometer (CTA) and the Aeroprobe are all techniques that have been widely used to characterise the turbulence created in flotation machines operating with only fluid (or fluid and air). They cannot however be used when the concentration of solids is high as commonly occurs in a flotation machine. Techniques that have been identified that have the potential to be used to produce accurate measurements in three phase flows include Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT), Piezoelectric Vibration Sensor (PVS) and Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT). It is envisaged that applications of PEPT in three phase flotation cells will mostly be confined to studies at the laboratory scale. ERT has been tested in flotation cells filled with water and air but needs more development before it can be applied confidently in industrial scale flotation units. PVS, on the other hand, has been validated at laboratory scale and has been applied successfully for measuring turbulence in large scale operating flotation machines.

A high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Illumina Infinium array, containing 52,157 markers, was developed for the allotetraploid Brassica napus. A stringent selection process employing the short probe sequence for each SNP assay was used to limit the majority of the selected markers to those represented a minimum number of times across the highly replicated genome. As a result approximately 60 % of the SNP assays display genome-specificity, resolving as three clearly separated clusters (AA, AB, and BB) when tested with a diverse range of B. napus material. This genome specificity was supported by the analysis of the diploid ancestors of B. napus, whereby 26,504 and 29,720 markers were scorable in B. oleracea and B. rapa, respectively. Forty-four percent of the assayed loci on the array were genetically mapped in a single doubled-haploid B. napus population allowing alignment of their physical and genetic coordinates. Although strong conservation of the two positions was shown, at least 3 % of the loci were genetically mapped to a homoeologous position compared to their presumed physical position in the respective genome, underlying the importance of genetic corroboration of locus identity. In addition, the alignments identified multiple rearrangements between the diploid and tetraploid Brassica genomes. Although mostly attributed to genome assembly errors, some are likely evidence of rearrangements that occurred since the hybridisation of the progenitor genomes in the B. napus nucleus. Based on estimates for linkage disequilibrium decay, the array is a valuable tool for genetic fine mapping and genome-wide association studies in B. napus and its progenitor genomes., yes

Compared with its parents, Brassica hexaploid underwent significant AS changes, which may provide diversified gene expression regulation patterns and could enhance its adaptability during evolution Polyploidization is considered a significant evolution force that promotes species formation. Alternative splicing (AS) plays a crucial role in multiple biological processes during plant growth and development. To explore the effects of allopolyploidization on the AS patterns of genes, a genome-wide AS analysis was performed by RNA-seq in Brassica hexaploid and its parents. In total, we found 7913 (27540 AS events), 14447 (70179 AS events), and 13205 (60804 AS events) AS genes in Brassica rapa, Brassica carinata, and Brassica hexaploid, respectively. A total of 920 new AS genes were discovered in Brassica hexaploid. There were 56 differently spliced genes between Brassica hexaploid and its parents. In addition, most of the alternative 5ʹ splice sites were located 4 bp upstream of the dominant 5ʹ splice sites, and most of the alternative 3ʹ splice sites were located 3 bp downstream of the dominant 3ʹ splice sites in Brassica hexapliod, which was similar to B. carinata. Furthermore, we cloned and sequenced all amplicons from the RT-PCR products of GRP7/8, namely, Bol045859, Bol016025 and Bol02880. The three genes were found to produce AS transcripts in a new way. The AS patterns of genes were diverse between Brassica hexaploid and its parents, including the loss and gain of AS events. Allopolyploidization changed alternative splicing sites of pre-mRNAs in Brassica hexaploid, which brought about alterations in the sequences of transcripts. Our study provided novel insights into the AS patterns of genes in allopolyploid plants, which may provide a reference for the study of polyploidy adaptability.

SummaryBrassica napus (AACC, 2n=38), is an important oilseed crop grown worldwide. However, little is known about the population evolution of this species, the genomic difference between its major genetic clusters, such as European and Asian rapeseed, and impacts of historical large-sale introgression events in this young tetraploid. In this study, we reported the de novo assembly of the genome sequences of an Asian rapeseed (B. napus), Ningyou 7 and its four progenitors and carried out de novo assembly-based comparison, pedigree and population analysis with other available genomic data from diverse European and Asian cultivars. Our results showed that Asian rapeseed originally derived from European rapeseed, but it had subsequently significantly diverged, with rapid genome differentiation after intensive local breeding selection. The first historical introgression of B. rapa dramatically broadened the allelic pool of Asian B. napus, but decreased their deleterious variations. The secondary historical introgression of European rapeseed (canola-quality) has reshaped Asian rapeseed into two groups, accompanied by an increase in genetic load. This study demonstrates distinctive genomic footprints by recent intra- and inter-species introgression events for local adaptation, and provide novel insights for understanding the rapid genome evolution of a young allopolyploid crop.

Brassica napus (An An Cn Cn ) is an important worldwide oilseed crop, but it is a young allotetraploid with a short evolutionary history and limited genetic diversity. To significantly broaden its genetic diversity and create a novel heterotic population for sustainable rapeseed breeding, this study reconstituted the genome of B. napus by replacing it with the subgenomes from 122 accessions of Brassica rapa (Ar Ar ) and 74 accessions of Brassica carinata (Bc Bc Cc Cc ) and developing a novel gene pool of B. napus through five rounds of extensive recurrent selection. When compared with traditional B. napus using SSR markers and high-throughput SNP/Indel markers through genotyping by sequencing, the newly developed gene pool and its homozygous progenies exhibited a large genetic distance, rich allelic diversity, new alleles and exotic allelic introgression across all 19 AC chromosomes. In addition to the abundant genomic variation detected in the AC genome, we also detected considerable introgression from the eight chromosomes of the B genome. Extensive trait variation and some genetic improvements were present from the early recurrent selection to later generations. This novel gene pool produced equally rich phenotypic variation and should be valuable for rapeseed genetic improvement. By reconstituting the genome of B. napus by introducing subgenomic variation within and between the related species using intense selection and recombination, the whole genome could be substantially reorganized. These results serve as an example of the manipulation of the genome of a young allopolyploid and provide insights into its rapid genome evolution affected by interspecific and intraspecific crosses.

Optimum flowering time is the key to maximize canola production in order to meet global demand of vegetable oil, biodiesel and canola-meal. We reveal extensive variation in flowering time across diverse genotypes of canola under field, glasshouse and controlled environmental conditions. We conduct a genome-wide association study and identify 69 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with flowering time, which are repeatedly detected across experiments. Several associated SNPs occur in clusters across the canola genome; seven of them were detected within 20 Kb regions of a priori candidate genes; FLOWERING LOCUS T, FRUITFUL, FLOWERING LOCUS C, CONSTANS, FRIGIDA, PHYTOCHROME B and an additional five SNPs were localized within 14 Kb of a previously identified quantitative trait loci for flowering time. Expression analyses showed that among FLC paralogs, BnFLC.A2 accounts for ~23% of natural variation in diverse accessions. Genome-wide association analysis for FLC expression levels mapped not only BnFLC.C2 but also other loci that contribute to variation in FLC expression. In addition to revealing the complex genetic architecture of flowering time variation, we demonstrate that the identified SNPs can be modelled to predict flowering time in diverse canola germplasm accurately and hence are suitable for genomic selection of adaptative traits in canola improvement programmes.

This study was mainly carried out to detect the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) located simultaneously in embryo and maternal plant nuclear genomes for beneficial fatty acid contents of rapeseed under different environments by using a mapping model and mapping populations from a cross of ‘Tapidor’ × ‘Ningyou7.’ Eight, three, six, seven and three QTLs respectively for palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and eicosenoic acid contents were identified and subsequently mapped on chromosomes A1, A3, A4, A6, A8, A9, C1, C3, C5, C7, C8 and C9. Among them, 12 QTLs were major ones that could respectively explain more than 10 % of phenotypic variation. Two specific genomic regions on A8 and C3 were associated with several QTLs relating to multiple fatty acid contents. Some of the markers such as HBr015 and JICB0633 showed tight linkage with the QTLs, which could be used for improving the fatty acid component(s) of rapeseed.

BACKGROUND Non-essential amino acids are a good source of nitrogen and also very important contributors to the metabolic process. Analysis of quantitative trait locus (QTL) simultaneously located on the amphidiploid embryo and maternal plant nuclear genomes for non-essential amino acid contents in rapeseed meal across different environments was conducive to further clarify the genetic mechanism of seed quality traits. RESULTS Twenty-eight QTLs associated with arginine (five QTLs), histidine (four QTLs), glutamic acid (three QTLs), glycine (three QTLs), proline (three QTLs), alanine (four QTLs) and aspartic acid (six QTLs) contents were identified in present study. All of these QTLs had significant additive main effects from embryo and maternal plant nuclear genomes with eight of them showing significant embryo dominance main effects and 12 showing notable QTL × environment interaction effects. Among them, 12 QTLs were major QTLs which could explain 13.27–35.71% of the phenotypic variation. Specially, five QTL clusters associated with several QTLs related to multiple traits were distributed on chromosomes A1, A4, A5, A7 and C2. CONCLUSION Non-essential amino acids in rapeseed meal could be simultaneously controlled by the genetic effects from the QTLs which were located on the chromosomes both in the embryo and maternal plant genetic systems. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

Glucosinolate and erucic acid are important plant compounds in rapeseed believed to have numerous functions in rapeseed-environment interactions. However, little is known about the QTL information related to the two different genetic systems including the embryo nuclear chromosomes and maternal plant nuclear chromosomes for glucosinolate content (GSLC) and erucic acid content (EAC) in rapeseed. Differences in QTL distribution between these two genetic systems, which control the performance of GSLC and EAC across different environmental conditions, were analyzed in the present study. A set of 202 DH populations derived from an elite hybrid cross of ‘Tapidor’ × ‘Ningyou7’ and their two backcross populations BC1F1 1 (DHs × Tapidor) and BC1F1 2 (DHs × Ningyou7) generated in two years were used as experimental materials for the study. A total of nine loci for GSLC and three loci for EAC with significant embryo additive main effects, embryo dominant main effects and/or maternal additive main effects, explaining 83.8 and 89.7 %, respectively, of their phenotypic variation, were identified. Although QTL × environment interaction effects were also detected in the present experiment, they played a minimum role in influencing the phenotypic variation. It was noted that qEAC-7-1 for EAC mapped on linkage group A7 was detected as the major QTL and could explain 68.32 % of the phenotypic variation for this trait. These results could be useful for the molecular maker-assisted breeding of GSLC and EAC quality traits based on the influence of two genetic systems.

Polyploidization, as a significant evolution force, has been considered to facilitate plant diversity. The expression levels of lncRNAs and how they control the expression of protein‐coding genes in allopolyploids remain largely unknown. In this study, lncRNA expression profiles were compared between Brassica hexaploid and its parents using a high‐throughput sequencing approach. A total of 2,725, 1,672, and 2,810 lncRNAs were discovered in Brassica rapa, Brassica carinata, and Brassica hexaploid, respectively. It was also discovered that 725 lncRNAs were differentially expressed between Brassica hexaploid and its parents, and 379 lncRNAs were nonadditively expressed in this hexaploid. LncRNAs have multiple expression patterns between Brassica hexaploid and its parents and show paternal parent‐biased expression. These lncRNAs were found to implement regulatory functions directly in the long‐chain form, and acted as precursors or targets of miRNAs. According to the prediction of the targets of differentially expressed lncRNAs, 109 lncRNAs were annotated, and their target genes were involved in the metabolic process, pigmentation, reproduction, exposure to stimulus, biological regulation, and so on. Compared with the paternal parent, differentially expressed lncRNAs between Brassica hexaploid and its maternal parent participated in more regulation pathways. Additionally, 61 lncRNAs were identified as putative targets of known miRNAs, and 15 other lncRNAs worked as precursors of miRNAs. Some conservative motifs of lncRNAs from different groups were detected, which indicated that these motifs could be responsible for their regulatory roles. Our findings may provide a reference for the further study of the function and action mechanisms of lncRNAs during plant evolution.

A comprehensive linkage atlas for seed yield in rapeseed. Most agronomic traits of interest for crop improvement (including seed yield) are highly complex quantitative traits controlled by numerous genetic loci, which brings challenges for comprehensively capturing associated markers/genes. We propose that multiple trait interactions underlie complex traits such as seed yield, and that considering these component traits and their interactions can dissect individual quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects more effectively and improve yield predictions. Using a segregating rapeseed (Brassica napus) population, we analyzed a large set of trait data generated in 19 independent experiments to investigate correlations between seed yield and other complex traits, and further identified QTL in this population with a SNP-based genetic bin map. A total of 1904 consensus QTL accounting for 22 traits, including 80 QTL directly affecting seed yield, were anchored to the B. napus reference sequence. Through trait association analysis and QTL meta-analysis, we identified a total of 525 indivisible QTL that either directly or indirectly contributed to seed yield, of which 295 QTL were detected across multiple environments. A majority (81.5%) of the 525 QTL were pleiotropic. By considering associations between traits, we identified 25 yield-related QTL previously ignored due to contrasting genetic effects, as well as 31 QTL with minor complementary effects. Implementation of the 525 QTL in genomic prediction models improved seed yield prediction accuracy. Dissecting the genetic and phenotypic interrelationships underlying complex quantitative traits using this method will provide valuable insights for genomics-based crop improvement.

International audience; As an increasing number of plant genome sequences become available, it is clear that gene content varies between individuals, and the challenge arises to predict the gene content of a species. However, genome comparison is often confounded by variation in assembly and annotation. Differentiating between true gene absence and variation in assembly or annotation is essential for the accurate identification of conserved and variable genes in a species. Here, we present the de novo assembly of the B.napus cultivar Tapidor and comparison with an improved assembly of the Brassicanapus cultivar Darmor-bzh. Both cultivars were annotated using the same method to allow comparison of gene content. We identified genes unique to each cultivar and differentiate these from artefacts due to variation in the assembly and annotation. We demonstrate that using a common annotation pipeline can result in different gene predictions, even for closely related cultivars, and repeat regions which collapse during assembly impact whole genome comparison. After accounting for differences in assembly and annotation, we demonstrate that the genome of Darmor-bzh contains a greater number of genes than the genome of Tapidor. Our results are the first step towards comparison of the true differences between B.napus genomes and highlight the potential sources of error in future production of a B.napus pangenome.

Brassica carinata (BBCC) is an allotetraploid in Brassicas with unique alleles for agronomic traits and has huge potential as source for biodiesel production. To investigate the genome-wide molecular diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern in this species, we genotyped a panel of 81 accessions of B. carinata with genotyping by sequencing approach DArTseq, generating a total of 54,510 polymorphic markers. Two subpopulations were exhibited in the B. carinata accessions. The average distance of LD decay (r2 = 0.1) in B subgenome (0.25 Mb) was shorter than that of C subgenome (0.40 Mb). Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) identified a total of seven markers significantly associated with five seed quality traits in two experiments. To further identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for important agronomic and seed quality traits, we phenotyped a doubled haploid (DH) mapping population derived from the “YW” cross between two parents (Y-BcDH64 and W-BcDH76) representing from the two subpopulations. The YW DH population and its parents were grown in three contrasting environments; spring (Hezheng and Xining, China), semi-winter (Wuhan, China) and spring (Wagga Wagga, Australia) across five years for QTL mapping. Genetic bases of phenotypic variation in seed yield and its seven related traits, and six seed quality traits were determined. A total of 282 consensus QTL accounting for these traits were identified including nine major QTL for flowering time, oleic acid, linolenic acid, pod number of main inflorescence and seed weight. Of these, 109 and 134 QTL were specific to spring and semi-winter environment, respectively, while 39 consensus QTL were identified in both contrasting environments. Two QTL identified for linolenic acid (B3) and erucic acid (C7) were validated in the diverse lines used for GWAS. A total of 25 QTL accounting for flowering time, erucic acid and oleic acid were aligned to the homologous QTL or candidate gene regions in the C genome of B. napus. These results would not only provide insights for genetic improvement of this species, but will also identify useful genetic variation hidden in the Cc subgenome of B. carinata to improve canola cultivars.

In this paper, fifty-five echelon-use batteries were tested and the capacity inconsistency of the batteries are analyzed. The flexible group technology of batteries is studied, and the characteristics and application scenarios of different topologies of energy storage converters are analyzed. Aiming at the problems of high current stress, high loss and high cost in full power control mode, a new energy storage converter topology with integrated primary power control is proposed, and the control method of the topology structure is given. The modeling and Simulation of MATLAB proves that the topology can realize independent control of the charging and discharging current of battery module under highly integrated conditions.

Rapeseed meal is a rich vegetable protein source because of its balanced amino acid content. Lysine, threonine and methionine are three limiting essential amino acids for livestock and poultry on whose inheritance there is little information available especially at molecular level across different environments. In present study, quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification and analysis for these three important amino acids in rapeseed meal were conducted using two backcross populations derived from 202 double haploid lines of an elite hybrid cross “Tapidor × Ningyou7 (TN)” and their parents. A newly developed QTL model and related mapping software were used to analyze the genetic main effects and QTL × environment (QE) interaction effects for QTLs located in the embryo and maternal genomes, respectively. The results revealed 17 QTLs associated with lysine, threonine and methionine contents in rapeseed meal, 10 of which were in the A sub-genome and the rest in C sub-genome of Brassica napus L., showing significant embryo and maternal genetic effects. Among these QTLs, two were also found to have significant QE interaction effects. In addition, some QTLs were located at the same position or linkage group, such as three QTLs (qLysC-4-2, qThrC-4-2 and qMetC-4-2) in A4 linkage group and two (qThrC-7-3 and qMetC-7-3) in A7 linkage group were co-localized, and three (qLysC-1-1, qThrC-1-1 and qMetC-1-1) were distributed in the same A1 linkage group. qLysC-1-1, qThrC-12-5 and qMetC-7-3 were the major QTLs, which could explain 25.4, 36.7 and 16.4 % of their phenotypic variations, respectively. The genetic main effects and the QE interaction effects of QTLs from embryo and maternal genomes were important for these limiting essential amino acids. The results above might be helpful for marker-assisted selection in rapeseed breeding and cloning of functional genes relevant to lysine, threonine and methionine contents.