ABSTRACT
Flax diseases are mainly caused by fungal pathogens, and by a few viruses and a phytoplasma. No serious diseases in flax are caused by bacteria or nematodes. Fungal pathogens infect all types of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) including linseed (industrial oilseed flax), solin flax (low linolenic acid/vegetable oil flax), and the fiber flax. Differences in the reaction to specific pathogens or races of the same pathogen may exist among varieties of each type of flax. The occurrence and severity, and the importance of flax diseases, vary from one region to another in the flax-growing areas of the world.
