AbstractIn order to enhance the economic value of edible rapeseed oil, an improvement of quality is necessary. Mutagenesis of rapeseed resulted in a low linolenic acid content and a low ‘linolenic acid (CIS: 3) level to linoleic acid (CIS: 2) level’ ratio, that is, the linoleic desaturation ratio (LDR), in the seeds of the Canadian variety ‘Stellar’. As an early breeding marker for low linolenic acid content, the pollen fatty acid composition was determined on 80 doubled haploid plants derived from a single F1hybrid obtained from a cross between ‘Stellar’ and a high CIS: 3 variety ‘Drakkar’. Fatty acid analysis on seed and pollen showed that the low CIS: 3 and the low LDR traits from the ‘Stellar’ variety were expressed in pollen and in seeds, and that a very close correlation (r = 0.88) existed between seed and pollen for these two traits. The inheritance of these traits is controlled by two major genes with additive effects, both in seed and pollen. However, minor genes also appeared to be expressed in pollen and seed. These genes may allow the production of plants with lower CIS: 3 levels than that of the low linolenic acid content parent. The efficiency of this new tool for early screening in breeding prog