DEVELOPING GENETICALLY ENHANCED ETHIOPIAN MUSTARD (Brassica carinata) LINES FOR UTILIZATION AS POTENTIAL BIOFUEL SOURCE.

The present investigation was carried out to develop derived Brassica carinata (BBCC) lines from Brassica juncea and Brassica napus. Brassica juncea was crossed with B. napus and a variable gene pool was generated. B. carinata type variants were selected followed by intraspecific hybridization with high yield potential B. carinata lines/varieties viz., MCR-1-6, MCR-1-19, Kiran and Pusa-swarnim. Interspecific hybridization and population improvement were initiated to enrich B. carinata gene pool for desired traits and documentation of potential lines which can be further exploited for commercial breeding. Among all these lines, PDC 37-5, PDC 37-2, PDC 82-2, PDC 37-3, PDC 32-1 and PDC 36-1 having low level of SFA and high erucic acid are desirable as the former prevents crystal formation under colder climates, whereas, the latter with longer carbon chains allows more efficient conversion into aviation fuel and emission of fewer particulates than conventional oil. For seed yield, PDC 64-1, PDC 96-1 and PDC 55-1 were found promising lines. The developed lines infused with desired agronomic traits presented genetic stock for rainfed oilseed crop as well as environmentally sustainable source of renewable fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]