Research Objective

• To characterize the NAM (Nested Association Mapping) RIL (Recombinant Inbred Lines) population for agronomic, phenological, yield, and seed quality traits in more than two different environments
• Provide field plots, basic data, or seed samples for multi-disciplinary collaborators to study different traits of interest from the RIL populations
• Provide mine-able data for the NAM Centralize Database

Project Description

In previous projects, Nested Association Mapping (NAP) for Brassica napus (canola) has been developed. There have been 2500 Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) from 50 diverse Founder Lines (FLs) that have been recombined with a reference line to date. This means that 50 genetically different lines of canola were crossed with a reference line (which was the same for all 50) and then bred over and over again through selfing to produce 2500 genetically different lines called the RILs. This is extremely important research because each RIL will have a different genotype and traits that are controlled by several genes can be studied and compared between these RILs. This project proposes to grow the already developed RIL lines in different environments to fully realize the complex trait combinations of this unique germplasm resource. It will also show the environment’s effect on these traits, and serve as a germplasm source (meaning there could be novel traits for resistance, etc. that can be used to improve current cultivars). Areas that NAM genes could contribute to include new seed quality traits such as protein fractions, heat and drought tolerance, insect resistance (such as to the swede midge), the root microbiome, and increasing selection efficiency in plant breeding. The derived NAM populations are important as a platform to bridge the divide in knowledge between ‘genotype’ and ‘phenotype’ of various complex traits.