Variation for oil quantity and quality in linseed (Linum usitatissimum)

Abstract

Significant variation in seed weight, oil content and fatty acid composition was found both between and within varieties in a diverse collection of 214 Linum usitatissimum accessions. Parent-offspring correlation analysis indicated that at least a proportion of the variation within several varieties was due to genetic heterogeneity. Lines were identified that had up to 46 % oil, compared with the 40 % present in the current Australian cultivar, Glenelg. High oil content was consistently associated with larger seeds. Oleic acid and linolenic acid varied between 13.3 and 25.2%, and 45.5 and 64.2 %, respectively, and were strongly negatively correlated within and between all varieties tested. The level of variation is insufficient to develop lines with less than 5 % linolenic acid by conventional hybridization and selection techniques. It is concluded that mutation breeding and interspecific hybridization are more promising approaches to the breeding of linseed genotypes containing low levels of linolenic acid.