Using the law of homologous series in determining the potential of cultivated flax Linum usitatissimum L. Adaptability in subarctic and mountain conditions

The role of the Arctic in the economic development of Russia is growing at the moment. The agrarian sector of the Russian science can contribute to the development of this region by promotion of cold-spring crops with a short growing season to the polar areas. Flax Linum usitatissimum L. is the most suitable oil crop for advance in the subarctic region. The area of cultivated flax in the European part of Russia has already reached subarctic latitudes of 62-66°. Further advance of flax to North and alpine zones constrained by a number of factors, notably the presence of cold Arctic and mountain climate and the lack of germplasm sources of high cold hardiness. The task of finding of flax samples, adapted to the subarct tic and alpine conditions can be solved by studying homologous overlap with related wild species of the genus Linum L. on adaptability to the Arctic climate. Wild species - blue flax L. perenne L. has parallel homologous series with common flax on many qualitative and quantitative traits. Detection L. perenne plants in the subarctic and arctic regions, as well as in alpine zone of Russia also suggests the presence of homologous traits of adaptability to the cold climate within gene pool of common flax. Plants of L. perenne were found in the arctic conditions of the lower reaches of the Ob River, Yenisey River, Lena and Indigirka Rivers, as well as in mountains of Polar and Middle Urals, Yakutia and Altai. Vegetating plants of common flax were found in the vicinity of Vorkuta (67° N) and Tiksi (71° N). Detection of that samples in the same environment conditions, where northern populations of blue flax L. perenne are grown, confirms the presence of homologous overlap between these species for adaptation to Arctic and mountain conditions and determines the potential for adaptive selection of common flax varieties to the northern conditions.