FIELD PERFORMANCE AT SALINE-AFFECTED SITES OF A SOMACLONAL VARIANT OF McGREGOR FLAX SELECTED FOR SALT TOLERANCE IN VITRO

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Abstract
The response to salinity of a tissue culture derived, salt-tolerant selection (STS) of flax (Linum usitatissimum) was measured at three saline-affected field sites in Saskatchewan in 1985 and 1986. Two experiments were conducted at each site in each year. Experiment A compared the plant population, dry matter yield and seed yield of STS to its parent cultivar McGregor. Experiment B compared the plant establishment, growth rates, days to flower, days to mature and seed yield per plant of STS, McGregor and the cultivar Noralta which has a maturity similar to STS. The seed yield of McGregor was greater than that of STS in both saline and nonsaline conditions and was significantly less affected by salinity than STS. However, when equal numbers of seeds were sown, more STS plants survived to maturity than either McGregor or Noralta. The decrease in seed yield per plant with increasing salinity was usually greater for McGregor and Noralta than STS and sometimes significantly so. The maturity differences among McGregor, STS and Noralta were not correlated with the differences in seed yield per plant. There was no consistent pattern in the results to suggest that STS was more saline-tolerant than were flax cultivars developed using conventional breeding procedures.Key words: Linum usitatissimum, somaclonal variation, salinity response

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