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Flax Agronomy Overview: Insights from Indian Head Research Farm

Learn about optimizing flax production through cultivar selection, seeding rates, fertilizer management, and other agronomic factors based on research findings from the Indian Head Research Farm. Discover the impact of seeding dates on yield in various locations, the importance of achieving target plant populations, and considerations for fertilizer placement. Explore how different factors influence flax production for successful crop outcomes.

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Flax Agronomy Overview: Insights from Indian Head Research Farm

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  1. Flax Agronomy Overview: What we’ve learned… Guy Lafond Indian Head Research Farm

  2. Flax Production • Flax as part of a cropping system • Basic steps for successful flax production

  3. Agronomic Factors under the Control of Flax Producers • Choice of Cultivar • Seeding Dates • Seeding Rates • Fertilizer Management • Stubble Effects • Tillage Management • Weed Control • Insect Management • Previous Land Management

  4. Agronomic Factors under the Control of Flax Producers • Choice of Cultivar • Seeding Dates • Seeding Rates • Fertilizer Management • Recropping/Stubble Effects • Tillage System • Weed Control • Equipment

  5. Six Factor Study • Cultivars: AC McDuff, CDC Valour, Norlin • Seeding Rates: 20, 40 and 60 lbs/acre • Nitrogen: 67, 100 and 133% of recommended • Seeding dates: early (1st week of May) and late (3rd-4th week of May) • Years: 1999-2001

  6. Five Locations: S’toon, Melfort, Indian Head, Brandon, Morden. Indian Head Morden

  7. Seeding Dates

  8. Most interesting Findingabout Seeding Dates • Seeding Date x Location Interaction

  9. Morden (Yield bus/ac)

  10. Brandon (Yield bus/ac)

  11. Indian Head (Yield bus/ac)

  12. Saskatoon (Yield bus/ac)

  13. Melfort (Yield bus/ac)

  14. Conclusions – Seeding date • Grain yields are favored by early seeding in the more southerly flax growing areas of the prairies eg. Morden and Brandon • Indian Head and Saskatoon- early or late seeding performed equally • Melfort – Later Seeding was preferred • From a cropping systems perspective, flax is a good crop to seed last for most areas except for southern Manitoba.

  15. Other Seeding Date Data

  16. Canola Flax

  17. Seeding Rates

  18. Seeding Rates • Growing Flax: Production management & diagnostic guide • 27-40 lbs/ac =~500–800 seeds per meter square • At a 60% emergence rate = 300 – 480 plants per meter square • Minimum requirement of ~300 plants per meter square is a well established fact from many environments

  19. Study – 1999-2001 • Cultivars: AC McDuff, CDC Valour, Norlin • Seeding Rates: 20, 40 and 60 lbs/acre • Nitrogen: 67, 100 and 133% of recommended • Seeding dates: early (1st week of May) and late (3rd or 4th week of May)

  20. Seeding Rates (lbs/ac) vs Plant Numbers (#/m2)

  21. Seeding Rates (lbs/ac) vs Plant Numbers (#/m2)

  22. Seeding Rates (lbs/ac) vs Plant Numbers (#/m2)

  23. Seeding Rates (lbs/ac) vs Plant Numbers (#/m2)

  24. Seeding Rates (lbs/ac) vs Plant Numbers (#/m2)

  25. High Seeding Rates (60 lbs/ac)Desired Plant Populations >300 plants m-2 -60% of the time with early seeding -73% of the time with late seeding

  26. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  27. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  28. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  29. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  30. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  31. Seeding Rates Effects on Yield Components

  32. Other Seeding Rate Studies • Gubbels (1975) • Seed yields stable over a wide range of plant populations • High plant populations can result in lodging but this is not a high probability occurrence especially with the new cultivars. • Gubbels and Kenaschuk (1989) • Need to plant a minimum of 600 viable seeds per meter square.

  33. Seeding rates and Plant Populations (#/m2)

  34. Seeding rates and Plant Populations (#/m2) From: Gubbels and Kenaschuk, 1989. CJPS 69:791-793

  35. Seeding rates and Plant Populations (#/m2) From: Lafond, 1993. CJPS 73:375-382

  36. Seeding Rate x Grain Yield

  37. Seeding Rate x Grain Yield Higher rates to capture yield benefits in a good year

  38. Conclusion – Seeding Rates • Target for at least 300 plants per meter square • High seeding rates won’t reduce grain yields • High seeding rates will capture exceptional growing conditions • High seeding rates can accelerate maturity when high populations are achieved • Higher plant numbers means better competition against weeds

  39. Effect of Cultivar • Cultivars: AC McDuff, CDC Valour, Norlin • No difference in grain yield between cultivars • No interaction between site-years and cultivars • No interaction between cultivars and seeding date

  40. Fertility and Flax Production • Fertilizer placement relative to the seed in a one-pass seeding and fertilizing no-till production system • Response to the major nutrients

  41. Seed/fertilizer separation: Effects on plant numbersand grain yield

  42. Treatments • Separation Seed/Fertilizer • 1.5”x 1.5” and 1.5” x 3.0” • Nitrogen Treatment: • 0, 53 and 107 lbs N /ac • N source urea 46-00-00

  43. 1.5” x 3.0” 1.5” x 1.5”

  44. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon FlaxPlant Populations (#/m2) 1999

  45. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon Flax Plant Populations (#/m2)2000

  46. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon Flax Plant Populations (#/m2)2000

  47. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon Flax Grain Yield (kg/ha)1999

  48. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon Flax Grain Yield (kg/ha) 2000

  49. Effects of Nitrogen and Separationon Flax Grain Yield (kg/ha) 2000

  50. Fertilizer Placement in Flax -Flax is sensitive to fertilizer nitrogen -Ensure consistent separation between seed and fertilizer -Higher seeding rates to capture the full benefits of fertilizer applications-Wider seed/fertilizer separation is not necessarily a better option

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