Evaluation and Characterization of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) germplasm at morphological and biochemical level

In this study, phenotypic data from 20 linseed genotypes were recorded, revealing significant variation in agro-morphological traits. Days to first flowering ranged from 38 days in R-4040 to 42 days in R-4203, with a mean of 39.75 days. R-4093 was the earliest to reach 50% flowering (52 days), while R-4203 was the latest (57 days). Capsule production varied from 12 capsules per plant in R-4040 to 25 in R-4213, with an average of 17.20 capsules per plant. Plant height ranged between 48 cm (R-4170) and 71 cm (R-4076), with a mean height of 56.10 cm. The number of seeds per capsule varied between 8 (R-4054) and 10 (R-4032), with a mean of 9.15. The 1000 seed weight ranged from 4.11 g (R-4054) to 7.34 g (R-4088). Additionally, the number of primary branches ranged from 4 (R-4044) to 6 (R-4032), with a mean of 4.8. Of the 20 genotypes, 4 (R-4040, R-4044, R-4054, and R-4213) exhibited white flowers, while the remaining 16 had blue flowers. Biochemical analysis identified ten scorable protein bands across the genotypes, six of which were polymorphic and four monomorphic. Cluster analysis using UPGMA revealed two major clusters at 63% homology. Cluster I, with 78% similarity, contained genotypes such as R-4032, R-4040, and R-4054, while Cluster II, with 90% similarity, included only R-4093 and R-4213 genotypes. This study aligns with previous research indicating low genetic diversity in linseed based on total seed protein profiles.