One of the concerns of “Plants for the Future”, a strategic
research plan for 20 years of development of European agriculture
run by the European Technology Platform (ETP) (European
Technology Platform, 2007) was improvement of plant fibers and
innovations in fiber applications. In their view, for fiber various
applications it is crucial to gain control of cell wall composition and
the interaction of cell wall components to determine fiber characteristics. Understanding of the complex genetic and biochemical
background of fiber formation is of high importance to industry
and would enable us to deliver valuable fibers corresponding to
the high demands of industry. Another problem addressed by this
document is the progressive decline of minor crops cultivation. The
increase of crop biodiversity would benefit human diet by diversification
of food sources. The lipid composition of linseed seeds
was pointed out as well-suited source of essential fatty acids for
human and animal nutrition. Linseed was recognized as one of the
oil crops good for production of advanced biofuels by European
biofuels technology platform (EBTP).