Flax and Linseed - Industrial Crops: Breeding for BioEnergy and Bioproducts - page 231

Chapter 11
Flax and Linseed
Martin Pavelek, Eva Tejklov ´ , and Marie Bjelkov ´
Abstract Flax has a long history of utilization dating back to ancient times. This
dual-purpose crop is believed to have originated somewhere in Central Asia, Near
East, or Mediterranean region with oil flax (linseed) predating fiber use (fiber flax).
Current breeding work on the crop focuses on several characteristics of the oil and
fiber to make the crop more competitive for use in the food industry and as source of
bioproducts. For both types, increasing yield and improving resistance to lodging,
pests, and fungal diseases are important goals. Genetic resources collections of flax
are abundant, and breeding programs have been integrating new biotechnology
applications into crop research and improvement activities. Overall, global crop
production of flax is decreasing, though the trend in opposite in linseed has slight
increase in Canada, Egypt, and some member countries of the European Union
(EU). The policy environment significantly affects linseed production in the EU and
has substantial influence on the marketing and commercialization strategies of
the crop.
Keywords Linum usitatissimum • Linseed production areas • Breeding aims •
Breeding methods • Genetic resources • Fatty acids • Lignans • Cyanogenic
glycosides • Crop utilization
Introduction
Flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.) was grown 6,000-8,000 years ago in Egypt and
Samaria and belongs (together with barley and wheat) to the oldest of cultivated
plants [ 1 ]. The dual purpose of flax, as source of fiber (fiber flax) and oil (linseed or
oil flax), was already known in ancient times. In ancient Egypt, linen (derived from
the fiber) was used for wrapping the royal mummies, and linseed oil was used to
embalm the bodies of deceased Pharaohs [ 2 ]. For a long time, flax has been