Field salinity studies in flax

Non-Peer Reviewe

Phosphate fertilizer placement for flax

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Progress of the edible-oil flax program at the Crop Development Centre

Non-Peer ReviewedAn edible-oil flax crop will provide Saskatchewan farmers with an additional cropping option and help to extend crop rotations. Australian researchers have recently produced an edible-oil flax but this genetic material is not available to public institutions. Consequently, we were forced to produce our own mutant flax lines by treating the variety McGregor with the mutagen EMS (ethyl methanesulphonate). The objective of our research was to induce mutations that would lower the linolenic acid content of flax seed. To date we have isolated three mutant lines with lowered linolenic acid levels. Each of these lines has elevated levels of other fatty acids. Line E67 has increased concentrations of palmitic acid, line E1747 greatly increased levels of linoleic acid and line E1929 has increased oleic acid levels. Flaxseed, as produced today, is processed into linseed oil. The drying properties of linseed oil make it useful as a component of oil-based paints and of linoleum. However, these same drying properties cause linseed oil to oxidize and turn rancid, making it unsuitable for human consumption. The most prevalent fatty acid in linseed oil is linolenic acid and this fatty acid imparts most of the drying quality to the oil. Green (1986) described the development in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) of a genotype whose seed contained less than 2% linolenic acid. The low linolenic acid character is controlled by two recessive genes that were produced by EMS (ethyl methanesulphonate) mutagenesis in the Australian cultivar Glenelg. These very low levels of linolenic acid have resulted in flax being considered for edible-oil purposes. The discovery of these fatty acid mutants brought the hope that edible oil flax cultivars could be developed for Saskatchewan. However, we were unable to obtain low linolenic acid lines from the Australians. We, therefore, began our own mutagenesis program with the hope of duplicating the Australian results

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

INTRODUCTION The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities. Variations in human cortical surface area and thickness are associated with neurological, psychological, and behavioral traits and can be measured in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies in model organisms have identified genes that influence cortical structure, but little is known about common genetic variants that affect human cortical structure. RATIONALE To identify genetic variants associated with human cortical structure at both global and regional levels, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain MRI data from 51,665 individuals across 60 cohorts. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 cortical regions with known functional specializations. RESULTS We identified 306 nominally genome-wide significant loci (P < 5 × 10−8) associated with cortical structure in a discovery sample of 33,992 participants of European ancestry. Of the 299 loci for which replication data were available, 241 loci influencing surface area and 14 influencing thickness remained significant after replication, with 199 loci passing multiple testing correction (P < 8.3 × 10−10; 187 influencing surface area and 12 influencing thickness). Common genetic variants explained 34% (SE = 3%) of the variation in total surface area and 26% (SE = 2%) in average thickness; surface area and thickness showed a negative genetic correlation (rG = −0.32, SE = 0.05, P = 6.5 × 10−12), which suggests that genetic influences have opposing effects on surface area and thickness. Bioinformatic analyses showed that total surface area is influenced by genetic variants that alter gene regulatory activity in neural progenitor cells during fetal development. By contrast, average thickness is influenced by active regulatory elements in adult brain samples, which may reflect processes that occur after mid-fetal development, such as myelination, branching, or pruning. When considered together, these results support the radial unit hypothesis that different developmental mechanisms promote surface area expansion and increases in thickness. To identify specific genetic influences on individual cortical regions, we controlled for global measures (total surface area or average thickness) in the regional analyses. After multiple testing correction, we identified 175 loci that influence regional surface area and 10 that influence regional thickness. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, which is known to influence areal identity. We observed significant positive genetic correlations and evidence of bidirectional causation of total surface area with both general cognitive functioning and educational attainment. We found additional positive genetic correlations between total surface area and Parkinson’s disease but did not find evidence of causation. Negative genetic correlations were evident between total surface area and insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism. CONCLUSION This large-scale collaborative work enhances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex and its regional patterning. The highly polygenic architecture of the cortex suggests that distinct genes are involved in the development of specific cortical areas. Moreover, we find evidence that brain structure is a key phenotype along the causal pathway that leads from genetic variation to differences in general cognitive function

A comparison of flax and canola production in Saskatchewan

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Reproductive physiology as a constraint to seed production in cool season food legumes

International audienc

Chemical Composition and Physicochemical and Hydrogenation Characteristics of High-Palmitic Acid Solin (low-linolenic acid flaxseed) Oil

The physicochemical characteristics and FA compositions were determined for refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) high-palmitic acid solin (HPS) oil, RBD solin oil, and degummed linseed oil. The predominant FA in HPS oil were palmitic (16.6%), palmitoleic (1.4%), stearic (2.5%), oleic (11.3%), linoleic (63.7%), and linolenic (3.4%). HPS oil was substantially higher in palmitic acid than either solin oil or linseed oil, and similar to solin oil in linolenic acid content. HPS, solin, and linseed oils exhibited similar sterol and tocopherol profiles. The physicochemical characteristics of the three oils (iodine value, saponification value, m.p., density, specific gravity, viscosity, PV, FFA content, color) reflected their FA profiles and degree of refinement. During hydrogenation of HPS oil, the proportion of saturated FA (palmitic and stearic) increased, and that of unsaturated FA (oleic, linoleic, and linolenic) decreased as the iodine value declined. This resulted in an inverse linear relationship between m.p. and iodine value. Hydrogenation also generated trans FA. The proporti