Scientists from the University of York developed an adaptable framework
for describing thegenome across all Brassica species or cole crops to
help develop better varieties.

The scientists usedGenetechnology to show that the fundamental structure
of the genomes of Brassica species is the same. They corrected
organizational errors such as misplaced genome segments to clarify the
evolutionary pathways and provided a global gene nomenclature system for
the cultivated Brassica species.

"We report for the first time the complete set of genes for a genome
aggregated across all of the multiple species in which that genome
occurs," said Prof. Ian Bancroft, Chair of Plant Genomics at the Centre
for Novel Agriculture Products. "This enabled us to define a new system
of names and terms for genes of the brassica crops and provides an
example for other groups of species in which genomes are shared, such as
wheats,"Prof. Bancroft added.

The study provides a knowledge-based approach in efficiently breeding
Brassica crops such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, pak choi, and swede.

Gene research on brassicas provides potential for making better and more
climate resilient crops - News and events, University of York
[www.york.ac.uk]