Objective
- Improving agronomic characteristics in cultivars of short flax
- Testing herbicide resistant populations
Project Description
This project builds on several objectives of our previous research, including a project previously funded by SaskFlax. J4 began breeding short flax in 2020 to determine if there was a dwarf gene controlling for shortened height as well as to analyze the applicability and potential benefits of a short-statured flax to Saskatchewan’s flax growers. From the results of this project, we ascertained that the short trait was not qualitative but was seemingly beneficial and warranted further development. One of the issues observed was a lower yield in the shorter flax, but as the short flax parents were not advanced lines, other traits were likely contributing to this yield drag. J4’s breeding pipeline includes germplasm with a wide range of seed sizes. Interest in these lines has been piqued and understanding the relationship between seed sizes and oil profiles is necessary to continue to breed larger seeded varieties. This project also builds on a former ADF project, in which the herbicide tolerant populations were developed that will be tested during this year’s project.
Canada is an important player in the global flax industry with approximately 40% of the world’s flax production. Flax production in Canada is primarily focused on the flaxseed. Although many areas of the world use and process flax fiber for textile and paper products, Canada does not have a significant flax fiber industry. Instead, for most Canadian flax producers, flax fiber is not only useless, but it is a major agronomic issue. Many producers are dissuaded from growing flax and many current flax growers limit acreage due to the hassle of the fibre. During harvest itself, long flax fiber is more difficult to cut than cereal straw. Further, any flax fiber in the residue remaining after harvest does not break down over winter. Instead, if it has not been otherwise removed from the field, it wraps in equipment used for seed preparation in the following year. Developing manageable flax by reducing the nuisance of the fiber residue will enable flax to increase in acreage from a minor crop to major crop in Canada. One way J4 is targeting this objective is through short flax cultivars. Improving these cultivars to have greater yield and a larger seed size will also help farmers stay competitive in the global marketplace while increasing harvestability. Saskatchewan farmers who have seen J4’s lines and have discussed the traits being targeted by J4 have been supportive of this project, with several former flax growers suggesting that they would like to try these lines when they are registered. This project focuses on showing the benefits of improved flax varieties to farmers and adapting the trait to allow farmers to be as competitive as possible.
