Simple and Rapid Method for the Selection of Individual Rapeseed Plants Low in Glucosinolates

Abstract

A simple and rapid colorimetric method for the selection of individual rapeseed plants with low glucosinolate contents was developed using one of a pair of germinated cotyledons of a single seedling and a glucose-measuring method employed in clinical tests (CII-Test method). The CII-Test method can be used to estimate the amount of glucose released by the hydrolysis of glucosinolates extracted from a germinated cotyledon. In the present experiment, HPLC analysis showed that the total glucosinolate content of germinated cotyledons was not significantly different from that of seeds three days after seed sowing. When the glucosinolate content of the seeds and/or cotyledons was estimated by the glucose-measuring CII-Test method and HPLC method, high positive correlations were recognized between both types of measurements. The CII-Test method exhibits some clear advantages in that 1) the glucosinolate content can be estimated in an individual plant, and 2) 150–500 samples can be estimated by one person in one day. These advantages indicate that the glucose measuring CII-Test method is suitable for efficient and accurate selection of rapeseed plants with low glucosinolate contents in the F₂ generation.