Hybridisation and introgression between Brassica napus and Brassica rapa in the Netherlands

Current investigation describes the extent of crossbreeding between rapeseed (Brassica napus) and wild turnip mustard (Brassica rapa) for the Dutch situation. If genetically modified rapeseed is imported or cultivated, crossbreeding could lead to the maintenance of transgenes in the environment. The research project forms the final part of a broader study.

Due to improved identification techniques, a previous subproject showed that, in the past, turnip mustard has been wrongly mistaken for rapeseed. In contrast to what was thought before, wild rapeseed is hardly found in the Dutch environment. (CGM 2010-03). This conclusion was confirmed during current investigation. Furthermore, outcrossing between the two Brassica species does not frequently occur in the field. Preliminary results suggest that chromosomal rapeseed fragments are able to integrate into the genome of turnip mustard.