A sulphonylurea herbicide, tribenuron-methyl, methyl 2- [[[[(4-meth-oxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl) methylamino] carbonyl] amino] sulphonyl] benzoate, was used to induce male sterility in rapeseed. Application of 0.2 lg tribenuron-methyl per plant at the bolting stage with the longest floral bud <2 mm and repeated 15 days afterwards, resulted in 94.5-100% plants being male sterile in six different breeding lines, but combined with low phytotoxicity. However, excessive double application of the chemical (>0.2 lg per plant) did have some significant impact on rapeseed, including stunting, fading leaves and petals, reduction in the size of floral parts and a shortened duration of flowering. The percentage of hybrid seeds from Ô84004Ô treated with 0.2 lg · 2 tribenuron-methyl per plant and pollinated by a male parent ÔHuayeÕ was 92.7%, which met the hybridity requirement in China. The results suggest that tribenuron-methyl could be used as an efficient chemical hybridizing agent.

The efficiency of a novel gametocide amidosulfuron, 1-(4, 6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl) -3-mesyl (methyl) sulfamoylurea, was evaluated on rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Double application of 0.09-0.12 g/ha amidosulfuron at the uni-nucleate stage of longest buds and 12 days later, made 97.4-100% plants male-sterile in seventeen out of 20 cultivars tested. The shrunken anthers could not release pollen or produced only dysfunctional pollen grains that could not be stained by aceto carmine. The treatment also caused 10-30% reduction on seed setting in comparison to the controls. The purity of hybrid seed from crosses of ÔC161 · HuayeÕ and ÔZhongshuang No.2 · HuayeÕ based on amidosulfuron was 99.8% and 100.0%, respectively. The results suggested that amidosulfuron is an efficient gametocide for B. napus.

Crabapple is a species with roles in aesthetics, ecology, and food materials. Twelve crabapple cultivars (Malus Mill. spp.) were analyzed for nutritional composition and functional constituents. Results show that amounts of ascorbic acid (202–704 mg/g) and phenolic compounds (665.96–2275.30 mg GAE/100 g) in these crabapple varieties are higher than those in some common fruits. Glucose and fructose were the most abundant sugars found in all cultivars, while the predominant organic acid in the different cultivars varied. Crabapples showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power. Rutin was the predominant flavonoid component, while vanillic acid and chlorogenic acid were the major phenolic acids in most of the crabapples. Among the cultivars studied, Royalty, Strawberry Parfait, Sparkler, and Adams showed the highest total phenol content and flavonoid content, which have health benefits. Fresh Kelsey and Fuguhongguo were suitable for consumption. The cultivars were well‐separated by principal component analysis (PCA). Novelty Impact Statement Twelve crabapple cultivars were analyzed for nutritional composition and functional constituents. Phenolic compounds (665.96–2275.30 mg GAE/100 g) in these crabapple varieties are higher than those in some common fruits. The different cultivars which had different physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics can be well‐separated by principal component analysis (PCA).