New Polish cultivars of flax resistant to Fusarium wilt
The breeders consider the lack of resistance of fibrous flax cultivars to Fusarium wilt the main problem in flax cultivation in Poland. The resistance to diseases, lodging, the quality of fiber and adaptation to local climatic conditions are the main factors that have to be taken into consideration when high yields are involved. Therefore, the selected cultivars must be characterized by these features. In breeding process, conducted at the Institute of Natural Fibres in Poznań, the breeding lines of flax were tested in F4, F5, F8 and F10 in different years. The tests were conducted in provocative conditions. The main aim of breeding of flax is obtaining of new cultivars having the resistance genes to Fusarium wilt and genes responsible for high yields. Such genotypes were obtained from crossings between cultivars grown in Poland and cultivars characterized by high quality of fiber, high yield of seeds, resistance to Fusarium wilt and lodging. Five among many cultivars obtained at the INF show the best features. These cultivars are: Nike, Artemida, Modran, Selena and Luna.