Utilization of Asymmetric Somatic Hybridization for the Transfer of Disease Resistance from Brassica nigra to Brassica napus

Asymmetric somatic hybrid calli were produced between Brassica napus and a transgenic (Hyg R) line of B. nigra using a donor recipient fusion method for the production of cybrids. The transgenic line of B. nigra used as a donor also possessed genetic resistance to the pathogenic fungi Phoma lingam and Plasmodiophora brassicae. Using hygromycin for selection, 332 hybrid calli were obtained from which 30 produced shoots (1—-20 per callus) which were rooted on a hormone-free culture medium. The rooted shoots were transferred into soil and cultivated in a growth chamber where the plants were tested for resistance against the two pathogens. Out of 129 hybrid plants tested for resistance against P. brassicae, 30 (23.3 %) plants proved to be resistant and from 78 plants tested for resistance against P. lingam, 41 (52.6 %) plants remained disease-free after infection.