People have culture and process flask for more than four thousand years. Flax comes from Egypt, but it has spread over many European countries and become an important technical culture. Flax breeders have been trying constantly to improve the culture and to raise new varieties resistant to climatic changes, with better fibre quality and more fruitful. Now this laborious work could be more efficient due to discovery of Russian and Belorussian scientists. A joint team of the Engelgardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Belorussian Academy of Sciences, have pioneered the identification of all flask chromosomes.
Chromosomes are DNA-containing morphological structures in cell nucleus.
Each plant or animal species has its own chromosome set. In fact, a chromosome is a long DNA molecule stranded into spiral altogether with special proteins in such a way that it is visible in usual microscope. A chromosome looks like a long ribbon with alternate light and dark bands. Differently coloured bands contain different DNA parts. Chromosomes can be distinguished by comparing these bands.