INTENSITY OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF FLAX LINES WITH DIFFERENT PHOTOSENSITIVITY IN THE LATITUDES TRADITIONAL FOR FLAX AND LINSEED

Thirty-five lines from the flax genetic collection held at VIR, differing in origin and photosensitivity, have been evaluated in natural conditions of fibre flax (60°nl) and linseed (53°nl) cultivation, and in artificially created long- and short-day conditions for the duration of phases “germination-flowering”, “flowering-maturation” and plants height. It was found that within small differences in day length the main influence on the duration of vegetative period has air temperature. Under similar conditions, flax height, except for the temperature, is affected by intensity of precipitation. Additionally, the genotypes interact differently with specific environmental conditions. Therefore, conducting geographical study of a wide variability of source material will allow more efficient selection of perspective genotypes for breeding