Species-wide genome sequence and nucleotide polymorphisms from the model allopolyploid plant Brassica napus

Brassica napus (oilseed rape, canola) is one of the world’s most important sources of vegetable oil for human nutrition and biofuel, and also a model species for studies investigating the evolutionary consequences of polyploidisation. Strong bottlenecks during its recent origin from interspecific hybridisation, and subsequently through intensive artificial selection, have severely depleted the genetic diversity available for breeding. On the...