ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Breeding

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1649023

Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic basis of vitamin C content in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings

Provisionally accepted
Chao  WangChao Wang1Lieqiong  KuangLieqiong Kuang1Ze  TianZe Tian1Xinfa  WangXinfa Wang1,2Hanzhong  WangHanzhong Wang1,2*Xiaoling  DunXiaoling Dun1*
  • 1Oil Crops Research Institute Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China
  • 2Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a versatile crop, with its seedlings and flowering stalks can be utilized as vegetables, which are rich in vitamin C (Vc) and other essential nutrients, including selenium, calcium, zinc, and various amino acids. Despite the well-documented health benefits of Vc as a critical antioxidant nutrient, the genetic mechanisms governing Vc accumulation in rapeseed remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the Vc content of 327 rapeseed accessions during the seedling stage across six environments in Hubei province over three consecutive years (2018)(2019)(2020). The Vc content in these environments ranged from 62.82 to 161.25 mg/100g, demonstrating high genetic variation (7.96% to 9.43%) and heritability (86.11%). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified 31 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across various chromosomes, which explained 5.68% to 12.78% of the phenotypic variation, integrated into 16 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses of the 2365 annotated genes near associated SNPs revealed significant involvement in diverse metabolic pathways including peroxisome, ascorbate, secondary metabolites, and terpenoid biosynthesis, as well as biological processes such as hydrogen peroxide/lactate metabolism and ROS biosynthesis, along with associations with specific cellular components and molecular functions. Furthermore, we identified six candidate genes that exhibit significant differences in expression between low and high Vc accessions, which are potentially involved in Vc biosynthesis but require further experimental validation. Additionally, we selected four superior germplasms (8S079, 8S200, 8S242, and 8S243) that demonstrate extreme Vc content, providing valuable germplasm resources for breeding. Collectively, these findings provide novel and comprehensive insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms regulating Vc accumulation in rapeseed, thereby establishing a foundation for targeted genetic improvement of nutritional quality in vegetable rapeseed varieties.

Keywords: Rapeseed seedlings, vitamin C, GWAS, candidate genes, Germplasm resource

Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 10 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Kuang, Tian, Wang, Wang and Dun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Hanzhong Wang, Oil Crops Research Institute Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China
Xiaoling Dun, Oil Crops Research Institute Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China

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