Photo from Brassica genetics for the classroom
A past project, TILLING for mutations in the vegetable crop species Brassica oleracea, identified mutations that are thought to play a role in plant response to abiotic stresses that particularly affect crop yield in Canada. These include elements such as temperature, drought and nutrient imbalance. Phase one of this project involved TILLING in Arabidopsis homologues of Brassica genes that were thought to be important in abiotic stress responses in these crop species. The second phase of the project involved TILLING in Brassica oleracea, a species closely related to the commercially important crop, Brassica napus. 