2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Domestication of wild perennial flax species (Linum spp.) is being explored as part of a large research collaboration at the University of Minnesota, the Forever Green Initiative. Projects in Forever Green encourage year-round cover on the Minnesota agricultural landscape through the development of novel perennial, biennial, and winter cover crop species. These crops provide ecosystem services which help mitigate the negative environmental impacts of agriculture, while also providing added value to farmers. Perennial flax would increase soil retention, improve water quality, and provide flowers for pollinators when most other crops are not flowering in the fall. There is interest in the horticulture industry for using perennial flax as an ornamental bedding plant and new cut flower crop, although the potential vase life is unknown. The objective of this research was to determine the vase life potential of perennial flax cultivars on the market. In Fall 2018, vase life was evaluated for two commercial L. perenne cultivars (‘Sapphire’ and ‘Blue Flax’), which were grown in replicated trials at two locations in Minnesota. The experiment utilized two treatments: DI water (control) and floral preservative, each with three replications per plant. Vase life (d), number of flowers, flower longevity, flower type (pin/thrum), and flower diameter (mm) were recorded every 24h. Water loss (mL) was recorded weekly. The average vase life of ‘Sapphire’ and ‘Blue Flax’ across treatment groups was 9.0 and 9.4 days, respectively. Univariate between-subjects ANOVAs were conducted to compare the effect of genotype and treatment on vase life, average daily water loss by evapotranspiration (ET), total # flowers, and average flower size. There was a significant treatment effect on vase life (p<0.001), but not genotype (p=0.127), and their interaction was not significant (p=0.203). For average daily water loss by ET, the effect of treatment, genotype, and their interaction were significant (p<0.001). For the total number of flowers, both treatment and genotype were significant (p<0.001), although their interaction was not significant (p=0.730). Similarly, for average flower size, treatment and genotype were both significant (p<0.001) with an interaction that was not significant (p=0.316). This study represents the first known investigation into perennial flax vase life, and the protocols developed in this study will be used to screen a diverse array of flax accessions in Summer 2019.