Comparative evaluation of flax varieties by yield and economically valuable traits in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia

The aim of the study was to evaluate oil flax varieties by yield, economically valuable traits and to identify the most suitable for cultivation in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia. Six varieties of oil flax bred in Russia were studied. It was found that, on average, over the years of research, the vegetation period of the August and Azurit varieties varied within 92–93 days, the longest (104 days) was noted for the Amber variety. The largest number of capsules per plant - 15.94 pcs. and the number of seeds in them - 5.09 pcs. on average were in the Amber variety. The Severny variety stood out in terms of the weight of 1000 seeds (an average of 7.45 g). The Azurit variety showed the highest seed yield - 1.66 t/ha, a reliable increase to the control was 0.17 t/ha. The August and Azurit varieties had a consistently high fat content in the seeds, 48.4 and 48.5% on average, which is 2.4–2.5% higher than the control variant. The average fat yield for 2 years for the August and Azurit varieties was 755.7 and 801.0 kg/ha, respectively, which is 69.8 and 115.1 kg/ha higher than the control. According to the complex of characteristics, the August and Azurit varieties are of greatest interest for cultivation in Western Siberia.