Biological determinants of plant and crop productivity of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)

In Poland the cultivation of the fibrous form of flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.) is dying out, but the acreage of its oilseed form, linseed, which provides seed ( Semen lini) used in therapy and being a source of -linolenic acid, is expanding. Nowadays, linseed is grown in 64 countries of the world, but yield levels in these countries vary greatly. Under European conditions, seed yield of linseed shows high variation, which is evidence of little knowledge of the biology of this plant and the lack of precise cultivation solutions in agricultural technologies used. A major reason is the difficulty in obtaining optimal crop density. A sparse crop results in low above-ground biomass yield, which is translated into insufficient crop yields. The selection of highly productive domestic and foreign varieties can partially increase linseed yield; apart from some domestic varieties, the Canadian cultivar 'Flanders' and the Hungarian cultivar 'Barbara' are positive examples in this respect. There is a possibility of effective selection at early stages of linseed breeding, which bodes well for the prospect of obtaining highly productive varieties with normal or very low -linolenic acid content.

[1]  P. Hocking Effects of nitrogen supply on the growth, yield components, and distribution of nitrogen in Linola , 1995 .

[2]  D. Turley,et al.  Effect of nutrition on growth and oil quality in linseed. , 2000 .

[3]  A. Simopoulos,et al.  Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease. , 1999, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[4]  S. Abbo,et al.  Agricultural Origins: Centers and Noncenters; A Near Eastern Reappraisal , 2010 .

[5]  I. Mackay,et al.  Quantitative analysis of Linum usitatissimum crosses for dual-purpose traits , 1998, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[6]  G. Rowland,et al.  Seed colour and linolenic acid effects on agronomic traits in flax , 1999 .

[7]  L. F. D’Antuono,et al.  Yield Potential and Ecophysiological Traits of the Altamurano Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), a Landrace of Southern Italy , 2006, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution.

[8]  H. Sankari Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) Cultivars and Breeding Lines as Stem Biomass Producers , 2000 .

[9]  B. Kulig,et al.  The estimation of productivity and yield of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) using the growth analysis , 2005, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum.

[10]  T. Zajac Analiza rozgałęziania się roślin lnu oleistego (Limun usitatissimum L.) z uwzględnieniem wkładu tego procesu w zmienność i współzależność cech [Analysis of linseed (Linum usitatissiumum L.) plant branching as related to variability and interdependence of traits] , 2013 .

[11]  H. Kaul,et al.  Grain Yields of Perennial Grain Crops in Pure and Mixed Stands , 2002 .

[12]  P. Miller,et al.  Oilseed Crops for Semiarid Cropping Systems in the Northern Great Plains , 2002 .

[13]  Raffaele Casa,et al.  Environmental effects on linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) yield and growth of flax at different stand densities , 1999 .

[14]  W. Diepenbrock,et al.  Yielding ability and yield stability of linseed in central Europe , 1995 .

[15]  M. Labuschagne,et al.  Variability in oil content and fatty acid composition of Ethiopian and introduced cultivars of linseed , 2004 .

[16]  D. Zohary Monophyletic vs. polyphyletic origin of the crops on which agriculture was founded in the Near East , 1999, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution.

[17]  D. L. Easson,et al.  A study of the plant, fibre and seed development in flax and linseed (Linum usitatissimum) grown at a range of seed rates , 2000, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[18]  J. Harper,et al.  DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE GROWTH OF LINUM USITATISSIMUM , 1977 .

[19]  Determination of cross-pollination in flax (Linum usitatissimum) using different experimental designs , 1999, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[20]  A. Green,et al.  Linola™ '947' low linolenic acid flax , 1995 .