Sclerotinia-resistant Brassica

Abstract

The invention provides Brassica plants and lines having an improved Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Disease Incidence (SSDI %) score and represented by, or descended from, NCIMB Accession Number 41396.

1 .  Brassica  line 04CWB930128, representative seed of said line having been deposited as NCIMB Accession Number 41396. 
     
     
         2 . A seed of the  brassica  line of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         3 . A plant of the  brassica  line of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         4 . A plant cell from the plant of  claim 3 . 
     
     
         5 . Progeny of the plant of  claim 3 , wherein said progeny are representative of a population having an SSDI % score which is less than about 60% of the SSDI % score of variety Columbus or variety Express or of the mean score of said two varieties, and further wherein said progeny produces seed having a glucosinolate level of less than 30 μmoles per gram of oil-free solid and less than 2% erucic acid in the endogenous oil component. 
     
     
         6 . The progeny of  claim 5  wherein said progeny originate by culture of haploid tissue. 
     
     
         7 . A method of generating progeny of the plant of  claim 3 , comprising:
 (a) crossing said plant of  claim 3  with itself or with another  Brassica  plant to yield seed;   (b) growing the  Brassica  seed of step (a) to yield a derived plant;   (c) optionally repeating the crossing and growing of steps (a) and (b) for successive generations to produce further plants derived from the  Brassica  plant of  claim 3 .   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of
 (d) selecting a descendent plant representative of a population having an SSDI % score which is less than about 60% of the SSDI % score of variety Columbus or variety Express or of the mean score of said two varieties.   
     
     
         9 . A plant or group of plants produced by the method of  claim 7 . 
     
     
         10 . Use of the plants of  claim 9  for growing a crop. 
     
     
         11 . Use of the plant of  claim 9  for oil or meal production. 
     
     
         12 . A method of producing an oil, comprising:
 a. crushing seeds produced by the plant of  claim 9 ; and   b. extracting a crude oil from such crushed seeds.   
     
     
         13 . The plants of  claim 9  further representing a population having an average level of blackleg resistance which is greater than that of Pioneer Hi-Bred variety 46A76 under the same environmental and disease conditions. 
     
     
         14 . The plant of  claim 9  further comprising a transgene. 
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 9  wherein said plant is male sterile.