Flax Breeding

Cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an annual, self-pollinated diploid (2n = 2x = 30) species with a genome size of 370 Mb. The crop is classified as flaxseed or linseed for oil, food and feed use, and as fiber flax for fiber use. The two types evolved into different morphotypes from the same origin based on selection preference either for the use of oil or fiber. In the last 60 years, the harvesting area of both oilseed and fiber types declined by 61.3% and 87.5%, respectively. However, crop yield potential increased by 112% and 733% for oilseed and fiber flax, respectively, that kept the similar production worldwide. Genetic diversity facilitates breeders to develop new cultivars with improved agronomics and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Traditional crop breeding has been under use for hundreds of years and is still commonly used today. Currently, molecular breeding, especially marker-assisted selection approach, is regarded as an important tool for crop improvement. Recent invention of the molecular-based genomic prediction method predicts desired phenotypes from unknown genotypes using genotypic data with more efficient and greater accuracy than before.