Dormancy Associated Weedy Risk of the F1 Hybrid Resulted from Gene Flow from Oilseed Rape to Mustard

To assess the dormancy associated weedy risk of the F1 hybrid generated by hybridization between Brassica juncea (maternal) and Brassica napus (paternal), seed germination, dormancy and longevity were examined sequentially after seed harvest. The F1 hybrids exhibited the intermediate characteristics of their parents in seed germination and dormancy with relatively high dormancy rate of 41.1%. In summer, F1 hybrid seeds buried in the 3 cm soil exhibited greater viability (52.4%) than those in the soil surface with greater seed longevity (74.6%) than its maternal (63.3%) and paternal (33.7%) parents at 100 days of over-summering in soil. In winter, F1 seeds buried in the soil surface were more viable than those in the 3 cm soil with greater seed longevity (83.5%) than its maternal (39.0%) and paternal (71.7%) parents at 100 days of over-wintering in soil. Therefore, it is concluded that F1 hybrid resulted from gene flow from OSR to mustard has high seed dormancy and longevity during summer and winter, suggesting its weedy risk potential. Further studies are required to examine the reproductivity and fitness cost of F1 hybrid to make a clearer conclusion of its weedy risk.