The oilseed rape breeding efforts of DSV are designed to produce high yielding varieties with high oil content in combination with an excellent agronomic package for disease resistance, lodging resistance, early maturity and reasonable plant height.
The main breeding target for the oilseed rape varieties of DSV is focused on hybrids. There are two hybrid systems used in the breeding programs of DSV, which are the MSL and OGURA hybrid systems. Both hybrid systems are broadly similar, as they involve producing a pollen sterile mother line and a fertile pollinator (restorer) line. The aim is to have the sterile mother line and the fertile pollinator line derived from very different gene pools, and to genetically combine well to produce maximum benefits. The crossing of the mother line and the pollinator line, to produce the F1 Hybrid, ideally takes all the advantages of both lines, and links to higher seed and oil yields as well as to a better agricultural performance of hybrids in comparison to conventional lines.
The main skill at the heart of the hybrid breeders lies simply in the ability to get the genetics of the fatherline and the motherline far enough apart so that the crossing produces a high yielding hybrid, which brings the farmer a better income from their fields.