Yield And Quality Of Flax As Affected By Variety And Some Environmental Factors:

Saber Hussein Ahmed Mostafa

SUMMARYYIELD AND QUALI OF FLAX AS AFFECTED BYVARIETY AND SOME ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORSFlax ( Linum usitatissi um L.) ranked second in relation to fibercrops in Egypt after cotton were it is grown as a dual purpose crop(fiber and seed). Efforts are aid to increase flax production throughincreasing the yield rather th through extending flax area. Also, theagricultural policy is intending to improve the technological propertiesof fibers and seeds through e introduction and breeding of newvarieties, characterized by high ielding potentiality.that the productivity of any variety isthe result or outcome of th interaction between the geneticalconstitution and environmental conditions. For that, flax should bygrown under suitable environm ntaJ conditions to achieve maximumyield and best quality.Therefore, six field expen ents were conducted during 1990/9 Iand 1991192 seasons at three ifferent regions i.e., Kafr EI-Sheikhgovernorate representing North Delta(Sakha Agricultural ResearchStation.), EI-Gharbia governorate representing Middle Delta (GernmizaAgricultural Research Station.) dEl-Giza governorate representingNorth Upper Egypt (Giza Agric tural Research Station.) to evaluatetwelve flax genotypes including e four commercial varieties namely,Giza 7, Giza 5, S.l19/2, S. 3/4, S.282/371I4/8, 5.402/3/3/5, Giza 8,Giza 6, 5.2465/1, S.2651/2, .281120912/2 and 5.329/5/3.120The recommended c tural practices for growing flax werefollowed. A complete rando ’zed blocks design with four replicationsin each region was used . An ysis of variance for each season in eachenvironment was followed d a combined analysis over the threeregions as well as over both s asons was done.Results could be summarize as follows:1. Results indicated t at genotypes under study significantly•differed in relation 0 straw yield and its related characters.Giza 7 variety wa significantly superior over the othergenotypes regardin total length, technical length, strawyield per plant, stra yield per faddan as well as fiber yieldper faddan. While, 2465/1 significantly surpassed the othergenotypes in main st m diameter.2. The three locations differed significantly concerning strawyield and its co ponents. Kafr·EI-Sheikh governoratefavourably affected straw yield and its components ascompared- with EI-O bia and El-Giza governorates.Also, EI-G ia was better than EI-Giza forand fiber yields.3. Results revealed th the climatic conditions during the firstseason (1990/91) ere more favourable than those in thesecond one (1991/9 ) in affecting all characters under study.The differences wer significant between the two seasons inall characters.4. Results showed that genotype X environment had significanteffect on total stem ength, technical length, stem diameter,straw yield/plant, str w yield/fad. and fiber yield/fad.Also geno X season, significantly affectedtechnical length, ste diameter, straw yield/plant and fiberyield/fad.Environment and season interaction significantlyaffected technical ltgth, stem diameter, straw yield/plant,straw yield/fad. and *ber yield/fad.The second order interaction significantly affectedtechnical length, stem diameter and straw yield/plant.5. There were significant differences among genotypes understudy in relation to s . d yield and its related characters. Giza8 variety ranked first regarding nwnber of capsules 1 plant ,seed yield/plant, s ed index, seed yield/fad. and oilyield/fad., followed by Giza 7 variety with the samecharacters except seed index where, S.329/5/3 rankedsecond after Giza 8 variety.6. Results indicated s gnificant differences among the threelocations in relation to seed yield and its related characters.Sakha location in afr-El-Sheikh governorate ranked firstfor seed yield and i related characters. While EI-Gemmizalocation in EI-Ghar ia governorate ranked second in relationto seed yield/plant d seed index and El-Giza governorateranked second cone ruing number of capsules/plant and seedyield per fad.7. The climatic condi ons during 1990/91 season were moresuitable than those’ 1991/92 season in affecting seed yieldand its componen s. The differences between the twoseasons were signifi ant in all characters except seed index.8. The interaction etween genotype and environmentsignificantly affect number of capsules per plant, seedyield per plant, se d yield per faddan and oil yield perfaddan.Also, geno e X season significantly affected seedyield per plant.Environment X season had a significant effect onnumber of capsules per plant, seed yield per faddan and oilyield per faddan.The second order interaction significantly affectedseed yield per fad, hereas other seed characters were notsignificantlyaffecte9. Genotypes under s dy significantly differed with regard totechnological chara ters. Giza 7 variety was significantlysuperior to the ot er genotypes in each of long fiberpercentage, fiber Ie gth, fiber strength and fiber fineness.While, Giza 8 v iety ranked first in relation to oilpercentage. On the other hand, Giza 6 variety ranked firstfor iodine value foIl wed by Giza 5 and Giza 8 .10. Sakha location in afr-EI-Sheikh governorate ranked firstconcerning long fib percentage, fiber length, oil percentageand iodine value. ereas EI-Gemmiza location in El-Gharbia governorateranked first for fiber strength.11. Results indicated at the climatic conditions of the firstseason (1990/91) ere more favourable than those in thesecond one (1991/9 ) in affecting technological charactersunder study except ber strength where the second seasonconditionsfavourabl12. The interaction be een genotype and environment as wellas environment d season significantly affected alltechnological charac ers, namely, long fiber percentage.fiberlength, fiber , fiber fineness, oil percentage andiodinevalue.Genotype X se on significantly affected fiber length,fiber fineness and oil percentage.Length, strength, fineness of fiber as well as oilpercentage were si .ficantly affected by the second orderinteraction.13. Genotypes S.24651, Giza 8, Giza 7, S.2465/l,8.281/209/2/2, S.ll9 2, Giza 7 ranked first in relation tototal cross section, c rtex, fiber, xylem, pith, fiber bundleareas and fiber index, espectively.14. Genotypes Giza 8, 7, 5.2465/1 and Giza 8 weresignificantly superior over the rest genotypes concerningcortex percentage of ortex 1 cross section, percentage offiber 1 cross sect on, percentage of xylem Icrosssection.percentage of ith / cross section, respectively.15. Results indicated that Giza 7 variety ranked first regardingnumber of fiber bundles / cross section, number of fiber cells/ bundle, whereas S.2465/l ranked first with regard to fibercell area.16. from the foregoing esults it could be concluded that forproducing the highes yield of straw with the best quality offibers, it is recomm nded to grow Giza 7 flax variety inKafr-EI-Sheikh gove orate and the neighboring regions andto grow Giza 8 flax ariety to get the highest yield of seedand oil in the same re ions.