Selection for contrasting tocopherol content and profile in Ethiopian mustard

Tocopherols are compounds present in oilseeds with major effect on nutritional and technological properties of seed oils. Brassica spp. mainly contain varying concentrations of α‐tocopherol, with high vitamin E value, and γ‐tocopherol, which contributes to oil stability. The objective of this research was to select for contrasting tocopherol content and profile in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun). A collection of 211 F_4:5 lines was evaluated for tocopherol content and profile, and divergent selection was conducted till the S_3:4 generation. Selection resulted in two lines with increased tocopherol content (244 and 243 mg/kg seed as average of four environments), one line with reduced tocopherol content (117 mg/kg), two lines with reduced α/γ‐tocopherol ratio (0.22 and 0.28) and two lines with increased α/γ‐tocopherol ratio (3.74 and 3.34). Control line C‐101 averaged 196 mg/kg with α/γ‐tocopherol ratio of 1.10. Reduced α/γ‐tocopherol ratio was controlled by recessive alleles at a single locus. Seed to plant correlation was high (r = 0.92), which suggests the feasibility of selecting at the single‐seed level.