1Plant Biology Research Unit BioPI, EA3900-UPJV, Biologie des Plantes et Contróle des Insectes ravageurs, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, UFR des Sciences, Ilot des poulies, 33 rue Saint Leu, 80039, Amiens cedex, France
2Laboulet Semences S.A., 1 rue Carnot, B.P. 5, 80270, Airaines, France
3Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire, UMR CNRS 6022, UTC, B.P. 20 529, 60205, Compiêgne cedex, France
4Laboratoire Agronomie et Environnement, UMR ENSAIA-INRA-INPL 12/1121, Nancy Université, 2 Av. Forêt de Haye, F-54000, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
*Email: severine.schiltz@u-picardie.fr
Online published on 18 April, 2012.
Seeds of oil flax (Linum usitatissimum) are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and their composition is one of the major criteria for flax selection. Conventional breeding schemes take many years and need a lot of space in greenhouses and/or in fields to achieve genotypes with the desired traits. We have improved the half-seed method that allows flax line selection from their oil seed composition. Cotyledon tips were analysed by GC to determine their FAME profiles while the remaining seed was sown to regenerate flax plant. An optimisation of the GC enabled a sample to be analysed every 4 minutes. Such a technique could be applied without loss of germination rate for excised seeds. Further experiments showed that both seed parts had the same fatty acid profile as cotyledon tips. This non-destructive procedure based on the half-seed method and ultrafast GC analysis provides an efficient screening of flax genotypes according to their seed fatty acid composition over only one generation.
Gas chromatography, oil flax, half-seed, screening, fatty acid profiles, linoleic acid
