Flax Agronomy Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation Jessica - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Flax Agronomy Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation Jessica Pratchler, MSc Candidate, AAg Stewart Brandt, MSc. One of the first crops brought to Canada in 1617 1888 first breeding effort though Experimental Farms Branch of AgCanada
Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation
Jessica Pratchler, MSc Candidate, AAg Stewart Brandt, MSc.
§ One of the first crops brought to Canada in
1617
§ 1888 first breeding effort though
Experimental Farms Branch of AgCanada
§ Canada is the leading export of flax seed § Two types – oilseed and fiber production § High ALA (Alpha linolenic fatty acid) – good
for human consumption
§ High Iodine – good for manufacturing of
linoleum, ink, and paint
can be developed
are ripe – swathing/desiccation stage
Research Needed to: Rotational Benefits Yield Optimization Fertilizer Requirements Competition
§Flax should be grown on cereal stubble
§ Canola and Mustard have negative consequences due to
phytotoxicity, nutrient and moisture depletion.
§ Better on barley and wheat stubble over oat § Legume stubble can also yield good results as well. § No till better than conventional tillage
§Flax stubble is good for most
§ Helps to break up disease and pest cycles § Little residue to harbor diseases, hinder soil warming, and
ease of seed placement
§ Varieties
§ All have Rust resistance and at least moderate to Wilt § High ALA varieties can have light or dark seed coats § Solin varieties have low ALA varieties for directed markets § Choose between Traditional, Northern, or Specialty Varieties
§ Yield Comparisons (Sask. Crop Insurance)
§ 28 bu/ac CDC Glass – 2 years § 26 bu/ac Norlin and Nulin 50 – 5 years § 24 bu/ac CDC Sorrel and AC Prairie Blue – 5 years
§ Humboldt Area (Sask. Crop Insurance)
§ CDC Bethune and CDC Sorrel highest yielding last 5 years (25 bu/ac)
§ Highest majority of flax acres
§ Westlin 70 and AAC Bravo highest yielding last 2 years (27 bu/ac)
flowers and flowers per plant along with few seeds per pod and small seed = need for lots of plants
with good seed placement
§ Seeding Rate: 300 plants/m2 – above 400 plants/m2 prone to
lodging
§ Seeding rate approximately 40 to 45 kg/ha (800 – 900 seeds/m2) § Population control is difficult = need to ensure high, consistent
establishment § Seeding Depth: 1 to 1.5 inches
§ Flax is not very competitive and has a fairly open
canopy
§ Past research found that 6 – 8 in row spacing
produces optimal agronomic performance
§ But, how many of you have drills on 6 to 8 inch row
spacing?
§ 10 to 16 inch? § Above 16 inch?
§ So what is that doing to optimal agronomic
performance of flax??
200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 plants/m2 Row Spacing (inches) 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 plants/m2 Row Spacing (inches) 2014 2015 4 plants/m2 14 plants/m2
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5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 bu/ac Row Spacing (inches) .73 bu/ac 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 bu/ac Row Spacing (inches) 2014 2015 .44 bu/ac
§ Significant decrease in plant stand with increased row spacing,
BUT stand stayed above optimal levels
§ Yields declined with increasing row spacing, rate of decline is
different each year
§ Research suggests
§ that seeding rates with different row spacing needs to be evaluated § If capable, continue to use narrower row spacing
Seeding Rates Low (35 kg/ha) Medium (55 kg/ha) High (70 kg/ha) Seeding Treatment (Insure Pulse) None Low Rate (300 ml/ 10kg seed) High Rate (600 ml/ 10kg seed)
100 200 300 400 500 600 Untreated Low Rate ST High Rate ST Untreated Low Rate ST High Rate ST Untreated Low Rate ST High Rate ST 35 kg/ha 55 kg/ha 75 kg/ha Population (plants m-2) Seeding Rate = 0.0000*** Seed Treatment = 0.1536 SR * ST = 0.6153
Preliminary Result (Melfort 2016)
Seeding Rates Low (35 kg/ha) Medium (55 kg/ha) High (70 kg/ha) Seed Treatments Check Fungicide (Vitaflo) Nutrient (Awaken) Fungicide + Nutrient
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100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 IH-13 ME-13 plants / m2 CHECK NUTR FUNG DUAL AVG
b a b a b a B B A A
increase plant density with fungicide treatment
increase with nutrient treatment
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10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 IH-13 ME-13 bu/ac CHECK NUTR FUNG DUAL AVG
A A A A
effect did not occur, this might not be the case every year
products is dependent on whether or not the disease is present/environment is favorable
§ Earlier § weed control, reduce disease and insect risk, earlier harvesting, and
shorter stems
§ Can withstand -3 at cotelydon stage and -8 at 2-3 leaf stage § Later § Warmer soil § Northern Varieties adapt with better maturities to later seeding
dates
§ Increasing seeding rate for earlier maturity § Yield and quality do not decline as seeding is delayed
§Two Varieties
§ FP2454 and CDC Bethune
§Two Seeding Dates
§ Early and Late May
§Three Seeding Rates
§ 40, 55, and 70 kg/ha
Seed Date Site Early Late P value IH 2013 48.0 45.3 0.150 IH 2014 20.1 20.9 0.849 IH 2015 33.7 39.1 0.075 Melf 2014 36.8 36.4 0.365 Seed Rate (lb/ac) Site 35-39 50 68-75 P value IH 2013 45.7 46.6 47.8 0.002 IH 2014 19.5 21.1 20.7 0.018 IH 2015 36.5 36.3 0.582 Melf 2014 37.1 36.5 35.9 0.301 Yield does not dramatically change with a delay in seeding rate Optimal seeding rate does not appear to change with delayed seeding date
§ Yield increased between 40 and 55 kg/ha, then stabilized
between 55 and 70 kg/ha
§ Later seeded traditional varieties yielded better than earlier,
while Northern Varieties yielded the same at each seeding date
§ In Melfort, Northern variety yielded better than traditional by
roughly 6%
§ Overall, where does flax fit best into your seeding schedule
Nutrient uptake
mycorrhizae.
mycorrhizae
P (and other nutrients)
seeding
Nitrogen
§ Side or MRB § Can be combined with PKS in a
single band
Phosphorus
§ Sensitive to seed-placed P2O5 -
above 15 lb/ac not recommended
§ Flax generally yields higher in
fields with high residual P
§ Side or MRB § N&P together does change P
uptake
Potassium
§ Often non-limiting
Sulphur
§ often non-limiting
Micronutrients
§ Yield increases generally not
§ If warranted strip test to confirm
10 20 30 40 50 60 20 50 80 110 140 Seed Yield (bu/ac) Nitrogen Rate (kg N/ha)
c d b b a
Overall F-test: P < 0.001 (NR) Linear: P < 0.001 Quadratic: P = 0.017
Yield was not maximized even at 150 kg/ha of N Almost 10 kg of N was needed to increase flax yield by 1 bu/ac While flax is responsive to fertilizer N, at higher flax prices it likely pays to use higher rates Area needed for further research
§ Brandon, Indian Head, Melfort,
Redvers, Scott, Swift Current, Vegreville, and Yorkton
§ To determine the yield response of
high yielding flax varieties to a range
§ Nitrogen (kg N/ha)
§ 0, 50, 100, and 150
§ Phosphorus (kg P2O5/ha)
§ 0, 20, 40, and 60
Competitiveness
§ Flax develops slowly and has
an open plant canopy
§ Good choice of effective
herbicides for use on flax
§ Early weed control is essential
as is a vigorous rapid growing crop
ADOPT BROADLEAF HERBICIDE DEMO (IH-2013)
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28
29
30
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10 20 30 40 50 60 Seed Yield (bu/ac) Herbicide Treatment
Indian Head 2013
c b ab a ab ab
§ Rust
§ Last major epidemic in 1970 § Only survives on flax § Genetic resistance – but potential for new races-
§ Pasmo
§ Above ground tissue and susceptible over entire growing
season
§ Overwinters prefers high humidity and frequent rain § Defoliation, premature ripening, and boll drop § No genetic resistance – need fungicide
§ Powdery Mildew
§ Reported first in 1997 § Some genetic resistance
§ Also: Fusarium Wilt, Stem Break and Browning
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Fungicide Treatments
§ Headline (0.6 L/ac) § Untreated
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10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Seed Yield (bu/ac) CHECK HEADLINE
Site (S): P < 0.001 Fung (F): P < 0.001 S x F: P < 0.001
***
ns ns ns
*** * ** ***
ns ns
§ Need better control over plant densities
§ Not every flax seed germinates – need better seed placement and narrower
rows
§ Fine balance between too few plants and too many plants § Earlier seeding results in earlier harvest, but waiting till later may warm
the soil enough to increase germination %
§ Flax response to fertilizer when residual levels are low, but preforms
best in fields with high residual
§ Need to rely more on uptake by roots and mycorrhizae § Focus on residuals from rotational crops § Focus on fertilizer application in the year prior?
§ What is the role of early weed removal
§ It is crucial with other oilseeds like canola § Flax is a weak competitor at early growth stages § Tendency is to delay to avoid having to make repeat applications
§ Fungicide application usually pays for itself, as long as disease
is present – and will do a good job