Genome-Wide Association Study of Genetic Control of Seed Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Brassica napus

Fatty acids and their composition in seeds affect seed germination, seedling establishment and determines oil value for industrial or nutritional purposes. To better understand the genetic basis of seed fatty acid biosynthesis in winter type oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), we applied a genome-wide association study, using 91,205 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) characterised across 60 mapping population lines (DH) with high-resolution skim genotyping by sequencing (SkimGBS). We identified a cluster of loci on chromosome A05 associated with oleic and linoleic fatty acids. The delineated genomic region contained orthologs of the genes known to play a role in regulation of seed fatty acid biosynthesis in model plants. This approach allowed us to identify potential functional genes regulating fatty acid composition in this important polyploid oil producing crop and demonstrates that this method can be used as a powerful tool for dissecting complex traits for B. napus improvement programs.