Transfer of resistance to race 2 of Plasmodiophora Brassicae from Brassica napus to cabbage (B. oleracea var. Capitata). I. Interspecific hybridization between B. napus and B. oleracea var. Capitata

Abstract

Interspecific hybridization between Brassica napus L. (2n=38, a₁a₁c₁c₁) and B. oleracea var. capitata L. (2x- and 4x-cabbage; 2n=2x=18, cc and 2n=4x=36, cccc) was carried out for the purpose of transferring clubroot disease resistance from the amphidiploid species to cabbage. Nineteen hybrids with three different chromosome levels (2n=28, a₁c₁c; 2n=37, a₁c₁cc and 2n=55, a₁c₁cccc) were obtained. The F₁ plants were mostly intermediate between the two parents but as the number of ‘c’ genomes in the hybrids increased, the more closely the hybrids resembled the cabbage parent. All F₁ hybrids were resistant when tested against race 2 of Plasmodiophora brassicae wor. The complete dominance of resistance over susceptibility suggested that the gene(s) controlling resistance to this particular race of the clubroot pathogen is probably located on a chromosome of the ‘a’ genome in Brassica.