Evaluation and utilisation of Latvian flax genetic resources in breeding.

Repatriated flax accessions of Latvian origin from the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (Russia), the Flax Research Institute (Russia) and the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Germany), and best flax lines breed in the Agricultural Science Centre of Latgale were investigated. Several qualitative and quantitative traits, such as technical plant height, number of seed vessels, logging resistance, vegetation period, yield of straws and seeds, bast fibre, oil content and quality were evaluated. Results of tree year field trials were summarized. Some local genotypes and lines were better than the standard fibre flax variety ‘Vega-2’ and the standard oil flax variety ‘Lirina’ in several agriculturally important traits. For intensification of the breeding process we were looking for the possibility of using biotechnology methods for obtaining additional flax breeding source material. After cultivation in calli culture regenerated plants could perform to a higher the so-called somaclonal variation. We applied this method to the Latvian local line ‘Rigaer B’. Best explants, medium compositions as well as calli growing and regeneration conditions were detected.