The object of study were 8 divergent sunflower inbred lines and 15 F 1 hybrids, which were analyzed for mode of inheritance, gene effects, combining ability and components of genetic variance for oleic and linoleic acid content. Mode of inheritance was estimated on the basis of a test of significance of mean values of F 1 hybrids in relation to the parents' mean (Borojević, 1965). Combining ability was determined by the method line × tester (Singh and Choudhary, 1976). The inheritance of oleic and linoleic acid contents varied in the F 1 generation. Dominance, partial dominance, intermediacy and heterosis were found. The inbred lines HA-22 and RHA-N-K exhibited highly significant positive GCA values for the content of oleic acid, the lines HA-74 and RHA-C-B for the content of linoleic acid. The inbred lines HA-22 and RHA-C-B exhibited highly significant negative GCA values for the content of oleic acid, the line RHA-N-K for the content of linoleic acid. All F 1 hybrids exhibited non-significant specific combining ability (SCA) for the two characteristics. Prevalence of additive gene action was observed in the control of inheritance of oleic acid content. The non-additive component, i.e., dominance and epistasis, prevailed in the control of inheritance of linoleic acid content.

Designing breeding programs for rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) cultivars with improved seed and oil yields require information about the genetic variability of traits effecting seed and oil production. This investigation was undertaken in order to examine phenotypic and genetic variability, broad-sense heritability, genetic gain under selection and interrelationships of some agronomic and seed quality traits of investigated genotypes. Genotypes, years and their interaction showed significant variation for all studied characters. Phenotypic variability coefficients were higher than genetic ones. Broad-sense heritability estimates ranged from 12.66% (for ripening period) up to 52.12% (for days to first pods filling). Expected genetic gain was lowest for days to maturity (0.45%) and highest for height to the first lateral branch (12.94%). The analysis of genetic correlations revealed that seed yield per plant is highly and positively associated with pods per plant, oil content, plant height and ripening period, although significant negative correlations were found between seed yield per plant and leaves per plant, days to maturity, protein content, days to first pods filling, days to flowering, height of the first lateral branch and 1000 seed weight. Genetic path-coefficient analysis indicated that pods per plant and oil content were the most important components of seed yield per plant. Their direct effects on seed yield per plant were p=0.472 and p=0.082, respectively. Protein content had highly significant negative direct effect on seed yield (p=-0.365), followed by 1000 seed weight (p=-0.017) and height to the first lateral branch (p=-0.081). These observations will support the selection of genotypes with desired traits for further rapeseed seed and oil yield improvement

Three hybrid combinations obtained by crossing six winter rapeseed cultivars were analyzed for the impact of genes with additive and dominant effects and their interactions with inheritance of plant height and first lateral branch height. The linkage among the expected progeny means was checked using the scaling test method (Mather, 1949), while the estimates of genetic effects and mode of inheritance was made by the Generation Mean Analysis (Mather and Jinks, 1982). The additive dominant model did not prove adequate for plant height in all three crosses, and for first lateral branch height in the second and third cross. The inadequacy of the model showed epistatic gene effects were also of large importance in the inheritance of these traits. Duplicate epistasis for plant height inheritance was found in all three cross combinations and for inheritance of height of the first lateral branch in second and third cross combination. However, it should be emphasized that duplicate epistasis among dominant positive genes occurred on plant height inheritance in C1 and C3, and on inheritance of first lateral branch height in C3. Duplicate epistasis among dominant negative genes occurred in C2 on the mode of inheritance of both traits. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31025]

Lowered genetic variability in the cultivated sunflower and use of interspecies hybridization in sunflower breeding were the main reasons to establish the wild species collection. Wild species were collected during collecting trips performed jointly by researchers from Novi Sad and Fargo from 1980 to 1991. A total of 917 accessions were gathered. Different numbers of species (1-37) and populations (52-384) were gathered in each trip and wild sunflower habitats were inspected in 6-21 US federal states. Presently, there are 21 perennial and 7 annual species in the collection, represented by 447 accessions. The perennial species are grown in quarantine fields (311 accessions) and kept in temporary seed storage at +4° (163 accessions). Annual species are sawn each year and 136 accessions are kept in temporary seed storage. Seed reserves vary from a few seeds to several thousand per accession and all of them were produced in the period between 1998 and 2004. Several problems were encountered in the course of the establishment, maintenance and utilization of the collection: 1. Occasional errors in species determination during collection trips were caused by the presence of natural hybrids, heterogeneity of natural populations and differences in ploidy within the same species; 2. The local continental climate caused loss in material due to winterkill and inability of some species to complete the vegetative cycle; 3. Perennial species were difficult to grow because of low seed viability; 4. Low self-fertility or complete selfsterility precluded seed production and renewal of seed reserves; 5. Wild species were difficult to utilize as a source of desirable genes because of their cross incompatibility with cultivated sunflower. The collection of wild sunflower species has mostly been used for development of disease resistant or tolerant genotypes, new cms and Rf genes and for breeding of special-purpose hybrids.

UvodUljana repica (Brassica napus L.) je u svetskim razmerama na trećem mestu kao izvor biljnih ulja i obezmašćene sačme (www.faostat.org). Ozime forme se uglavnom gaje u umerenom klimatskom pojasu, dok se jare sorte gaje u hladnijim klimatskim područjima. Stare sorte uljane repice su u ulju imale čak do 50% eruka kiseline (C22:1) što je masna kiselina bez hranljive vrednosti, štetna po zdravlje jer oštećuje krvne sudove i izaziva hemolitsku anemiju. Intenzivnim oplemenjivačkim radom stvorene su sorte sa manje od 2% eruka kiseline u ukupnom sadržaju ulja ("0" sorte). Ovakve sorte se mogu bez zdravstvenih ograničenja koristiti u prehrambene svrhe.Uljane pogače, koje ostaju nakon ekstrakcije ulja su visokokvalitetno proteinska komponenta u koncentrovanoj hrani za domaće životinje. Ograničavajući činilac korišćenja sačme u ishrani bili su glukozinolati i alkaloidi koji se u organima za varenje životinja razlažu na vrlo toksična jedinjenja. Njihov sadržaj je kod tradicionalnih sorti iznosio i do 450 mmol g -1 . Savremene sorte uljane repice sadrže svega 15-20 mmol g -1 glukozinolata što se smatra bezopasnom količinom u ishrani domaćih životinja ("00") (Friedt & Snowdon 2009).Danas se često uljane repice sa niskim sadrža-jem štetnih materija u semenu nazivaju canola, a ulje dobiveno od njih kanola ulje. Etimološki reč canola je skraćenica od sledećih reči: Canadian Oil Low Acid.Stаlno povećаnje potrebа zа hrаnom i sirovinаmа zа prerаdu, nа koje morа dа odgovori poljoprivrednа proizvodnjа, rаsprostrаnjenost i znаčаj uljаnih biljnih vrstа, kаo rаzlozi zа poveća-nje prinosа u Srbiji zahtevaju stalno proučаvаnje genetike i njenu primenu u oplemenjivаnju uljаne repice. Nepovoljаn uticаj fаktorа spoljne sredine nа prinos i kvаlitet uljаne repice znаčаjno može redukovаti efekte rаdа oplemenjivаčа u reаlizаciji perspektivnih sorti.Nove sorte testiraju se u različitim uslovima spoljašnjih sredina (godina, lokalitet) u cilju izGenetika i oplemenjivanje / Genetics and Breeding www.nsseme.com/journal.html ( ) Ovo istraživanje je rezultat projekta TR31025 "Razvoj novih sorti i poboljšanje tehnologija proizvodnje uljanih biljnih vrsta za različite namene" Ministarstva za nauku i tehnološki razvoj Republike Srbije / This research results from project TR31025 "Development of new varieties and production technology improvement of oil crops for different purposes" funded by Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.