Inheritance and Agronomic Performance of the Waxless Character in Brassica napus L.

A mutant of oilseed rape (B. napus L.) with waxless leaves was discovered in 1988. Three pairs of reciprocal crosses were made between the mutant (Wl) and 3 normal wax layered lines (Nwl). By the summer planting in Kunming and Wenjiang and the autumn planting in Wenjiang, it was confirmed that the Wl character is completely dominant to the normal opposite Nwl. Chi‐square tests revealed that the segregation ratios of Wl to Nwl among B1 and F2 plants fit to 1:1 and 3:1, respectively, i.e. the assumption of one gene pair. The yield of 12 hybrids, which were derived fom Wl and some Nwl lines, exceeded the check control ‘Zhong You 821’, a best cultivar in Chinese production by 19.31 % on the average. When the seedling had 3–4 leaves, both phenotypes can be accurately determined visually on the field. This material possesses potential value for studies of the genetics and breeding, as a prominent genetic marker in B. napus.