Current CDC cultivars

Flax nursery plots at KCRF

The overall breeding objectives of the CDC flax breeding program are to develop varieties with improved agronomic traits, including yield, timely maturity, larger seed size, disease resistance and improved seed quality traits of interest to the market. One of the defining qualities of flaxseed oil is a high concentration of Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), an 18 carbon chain omega-3 fatty acid with three double bonds, that has both food and industrial uses. Disease resistance investigations are carried out in collaboration with the CDC Cereal and Flax Pathologist (Dr. Randy Kutcher) and the Flax Pathologist (Dr. Rashid Khalid) at AAFC, Morden. Recent cultivars released by the CDC breeding program and commercialized demonstrate that, through multi-site performance testing and utilization of a pre-registration regional testing system, the CDC Flax Breeder has consistently provided improved genetics to producers and end users. 

CDC Glas (FP2300), registered in 2012

  • Yield potential comparable to CDC Bethune (103%)
  • Immune to flax rust, moderate resistance (MR) to fusarium wilt and powdery mildew
  • Medium oil (47.4%) and Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) content of 58.2%
  • Medium seed size (5.7 g Thousand Seed Weight (TSW))
  • Maturity rating equal to Flanders and good lodging resistance
  • Certified seed of CDC Glas is available through SeCan

CDC Neela (FP2314), registered in 2013

  • Yield potential comparable to CDC Bethune (105%)
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt
  • Medium oil (46.5%) and ALA (60.7%) content.
  • Larger seed (6.0 g TSW)
  • Maturity rating equal to Flanders
  • Certified seed is available through Canterra Seeds.

CDC Plava (FP2385), registered in 2015

  • First cultivar targeted to the shorter growing season zones of the Canadian prairie
  • It has a yield potential comparable to CDC Bethune (106%)
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt
  • Early maturity rating equal to Prairie Thunder
  • Medium oil (47.0%) and ALA (57.8%) content and a seed size comparable to CDC Neela (6.1 g TSW)
  • Seed is available through SeCan.

CDC Buryu (FP2316) registered in 2016

  • Yield potential (106%) comparable to CDC Bethune
  • Yield potential >108% over CDC Bethune in the brown soil zone and longer growing season black and grey soil zones 
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt
  • Maturity rating equal to Flanders
  • This cultivar has medium (46.1%) oil content (IV = 192.6) and a seed size comparable to CDC Neela (6.0 g TSW)
  • Seed is available through SeCan.

CDC Melyn (FP2429), registered in 2016

  • The first high omega-3 yellow linseed
  • It has a yield equal to AC Nugget (yield standard for yellow linseed)
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt
  • Maturity rating equal to Flanders
  • Medium (46.6%) oil content (IV = 199.4) and ALA content (61%), a TSW of 5.0 g
  • Seed is distributed by Wayfinder Farms (Robert MacGregor).

CDC Dorado  (FP2432), registered in 2017

  • A yellow linseed line which has ALA content of 64% - the highest ever released by the CDC
  • Yield advantage over AC Nugget (>7%) in the longer growing season of the black and dark grey soil zones of the Prairies coupled with a maturity rating less than Flanders
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt (similar to Omega, more resistant than Linola2047) 
  • Medium oil content (45.2%) and TSW of 6.0 g
  • High iodine value of 204.2 and meal protein of 43.7%
  • Seed distributed by SeedNet, Alberta, Canada.

CDC Rowland (FP2513), registered in 2018

  • Brown linseed line has an average yield potential 112% of CDC Bethune
    • 117% of CDC Bethune in zone 1 - black and grey soil (longer growing season)
    • 116% of CDC Bethune in zone 2 - brown soil zone
    • 105% of CDC Bethune in zone 3 - black and grey soil (shorter growing season)
  • Matures 3 days later than Flanders across all production zones of Western Canada.
  • Immune to flax rust and MR to fusarium wilt and powdery mildew
  • Medium (44.6%) oil and ALA (59.3%) content (IV 194.5)
  • Large seed size (6.8 g TSW)
  • SeCan will distribute this variety

Visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website for information about older CDC Flax or other cultivars grown in Canada.

Flax fields from the air