Pro-Environmental and Health-Promoting Grounds for Restitution of Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Cultivation

Abstract

The current state of the world's ecosystems requires many measures to restore opportunities, if not for their reconstruction, then to stop the rate of biodiversity loss. One of the areas where this should happen is industrial agriculture. In order to diversify the large-scale monoculture crops dominated by cereals and fodder crops, science and practice draw attention to the need to introduce the plants of smaller or marginal significance into cultivation. Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is a species with special properties and great utility from the ancient times to the present. Currently, Canada is the largest producer of flax in the world, while France, Belgium and the Netherlands in Europe. The aim of the work was to assess the state of its cultivation (area and volume of production) and determine the possibilities of restituting this species in Poland. The analysis of the available materials indicates that the largest areas of flax cultivation occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when flax competed with cotton as a raw material for the production of textile products. In the interwar period, Poland had a well-developed linen industry for flax processing. Large quantities of high-quality linseed oil were also produced. In the 1990s, the production of flax amounted to several hundred hectares, and after Poland's accession to the EU, the area of cultivation and production of oil flax increased. Bearing in mind the pro-environmental qualities of linen and linseed oil, there is a need to popularize this species and increase the cultivation area, for which the climatic and soil conditions in moderate climate are very favorable.

In Vivo and In Vitro Antidiabetic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Seed Polyphenols

“…Linum usitatissimum L. seeds (Linaceae) are commonly called flaxseed or linseed, and is locally called "Zaariat ketan" in Morocco [10]. They are one of the oldest traditional annual cultivated crops in the world [11]. Several studies have indicated that flaxseed is a source of phytochemicals, with potential health benefits [12].…”

Reintroducing Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) to the Mediterranean Basin: The Importance of Nitrogen Fertilization

“…Flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.), one of the 150 species of the Linaceae family, is a crop with great potential due to its multiple uses and its high adaptability [ 1 , 2 ]. Although it originates from around the Mediterranean region and Southwestern Asia [ 3 ], this adaptability to various climatic conditions spread its cultivation across the Middle East, India, Canada, and several European countries [ 2 ]. Amongst them, Canada is considered the main producer of flax [ 4 ].…”

“…Amongst them, Canada is considered the main producer of flax [ 4 ]. Flax is cultivated either for its fiber, or its seeds and the oil produced from them [ 2 ]. In fact, flax varieties can be distinguished by either oilseed or fiber varieties [ 5 ].…”

Sustainable development in rural areas in the perspective of a decade of ecosystem restoration

“…To diversify large-area monoculture crops dominated by cereal and fodder plants, science and practice draw attention to the need to introduce plants of minor or marginal importance to cultivation, favouring the biodiversity of villages and new crops (Kiryluk & Kostecka, 2020). The variety of values of rural areas motivates many people to introduce a new lifestyle and a new model of social development in the countryside.…”