Ex situ collections of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and other species of the genus Linum L.

Abstract

An overview of ex situ collections of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and 53 other species of the genus Linum L. is presented. The names of 33 genebanks in 23 countries preserving Linum germplasm and the species preserved at these places are provided. World genebanks engage in ex situ preservation of about 48,000 accessions of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum). However, possibly only 10,000 accessions of these are unique. Of the ca. 200 species of the genus Linum, other than L. usitatissimum, 53 are reported to be represented in the world's ex situ collections with a total of about 900 accessions. Of these, 279 accessions alone refer to the wild progenitor of cultivated flax, Linum bienne Mill. However, L. bienne from the region of origin of cultivated flax is rarely represented in genebank collections. References to publications describing the techniques for ex situ conservation and the infraspecific variation of cultivated flax are made. It is suggested that taxonomic species delimitation within the genus Linum is in need of clarification and that the variation in Linum species for ornamental use or use in breeding is investigated.

Analysis of genetic diversity in Indian and exotic linseed germplasm and identification of trait specific superior accessions

“…Earlier the diversity studies in linseed by Hayes and Immer (1942) and Worku (2015) reported red-violet and pink color corolla accessions which are different from our study. Also we did not score yellow and lavender color petals reported from world core collection of linseed by Diederichsen (2007). Petal aestivation was semi-twisted in 71% accessions, twisted for 25% and valvate for others.…”

Oil Crop Breeding and Genetics

“…Generally, the number of accessions per species held in ex situ collections is an indicator of past collection activities and the availability of germplasm, but not a sound measure of genetic diversity. For the accessions of linseed/flax, Diederichsen (2007) reviewed the ex situ collections world-wide: More than 46, 500 accessions of linseed are present in at least 33 public genebanks; however, based on analyses of duplications, the author estimates that only 10-15,000 accessions are unique. In soybean, more than 170,000 accessions are maintained in genebanks, out of which more than two thirds are duplications and about 45,000 are considered unique genotypes (Carter et al 2004).…”

Pedigrees and genetic base of flax cultivars registered in Canada

“…There are approximately 48 000 flax accessions in the ex situ world collections (Diederichsen 2007), whereas the Canadian national plant germplasm repository, Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC), preserves a collection of 3252 accessions of Linum usitatissimum L. and 76 accessions of other species of the genus Linum, originating from 72 countries and representing all historical and present cultivation regions for linseed or fibre production (Diederichsen and Fu 2008). In the last two decades, most of these Canadian collections (over 90%) have been resampled to be characterized and evaluated for morphologic, phenological, and agronomic characters such as plant height, seed color, seed weight, seed oil content, fatty acid profile, seed coat mucilage content, fiber content, adaptation to dry growing conditions, disease resistance, seed vigour, seed lignin content, and so on (Diederichsen 2001;Diederichsen and Raney 2006;Diederichsen and Fu 2008;Diederichsen and Ulrich 2009).…”

“…is the wild progenitor of cultivated flax (Diederichsen and Hammer 1995;Fu and Peterson 2010). Pale flax and cultivated flax share the same chromosome number (n = 15) and their crosses generate fully fertile offspring, thus, it represents cultivated flax's primary gene pool (Diederichsen 2007). Genetic variation studies of the two species indicate that strong genetic differentiation exists between pale and cultivated flax and that pale flax is more genetically diverse (Diederichsen 2007;Uysal et al 2010Uysal et al , 2012SotoCerda et al 2014a) and possesses favorable alleles with a potentially positive effect on improving seed yield through yield components (Soto-Cerda et al 2014a).…”