In the last few years, there has been a real boom in the consumption of flax seeds (crown/oil), driven by increased demand from the food, fodder, and, above all, chemical industries.
Russia ranks second in flax seeds exports with a share of about 26 % of the world exports, coming second only to Canada (32 %) and ahead of Kazakhstan (19 %). This indicator tells us about the growing popularity of this crop among agricultural producers. Today, we will talk about the peculiarities of seed selection and cultivation technologies of this interesting and dynamically developing crop.
Oil flax is a valuable and versatile technical crop.
The seeds of modern oil flax varieties contain up to 50 % or more drying oil and up to 33 % of protein. Due to its high polyunsaturated fatty acid content, flax seed oil forms a strong and persistent film when drying. Paints and varnishes based on flaxseed oil are the standard of durability and reliability. Flax oil has wide application in polygraphic, leather, and footwear, textile, electrotechnical, food, medical, perfumery, and many other industries. It is a raw material for producing various coatings (oilcloth, linoleum, waterproof fabrics), artificial fibers, insulating foams, plasticizers, high-pressure greases, and other polymers. Flax oil has unique dietary, therapeutic and prophylactic properties. Its uniqueness lies in the high total content of polyunsaturated fatty acids – a-linolenic and linoleic, indispensable in the human diet.
It is not easy to list all the virtues of one of the oldest cultivated crops and describe all its possible uses. The most important thing associated with flax in the mind of modern man is health and comfort.
How to choose flax seeds?
When selecting a variety for cultivation in a particular region, its genetic potential, biological characteristics, and purpose of use should be taken into account. Varieties of oil flax of breeding of V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops are best adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of Russia. The distinctive features of these varieties are manufacturability, uniform ripening, and resistance to Fusarium blight.
How to properly cultivate oil flax or seven steps to get high yields.
After selecting the seeds for sowing, the next important step for high yields is to follow the basic requirements for oil flax cultivation technology.
1. Crop rotation.
- The time of return to the previous field is not earlier than after 7 years.
- The best forecrops are black and full fallow, soybean, winter and spring grain crops, corn, sugar beet, potato.
- Cruciferous crops and sunflower are not bad forecrops under the condition of destroying their fallen seeds by herbicides.
- In areas with unstable and sufficient moisture, oil flax can be placed after late harvested crops (grain maize, sugar beet, sunflower, soybean) to prepare the soil in time for sowing winter wheat.
2. Primary tillage.
Depending on the forecrop, weed infestation and species composition of weed on the fields, and the risk of wind erosion (deflation), different systems of primary tillage are applied:
- In fields infested with annual weeds, semi-fallow tillage or improved plowing is used.
- Fields infested with perennial suckering weeds are subjected to a system of graded tillage.
- In areas exposed to wind erosion, a system of shallow tillage is applied.
- Application of minimum and surface tillage is allowed if the soil density does not exceed 1.25 g/cm2.
- Autumn leveling of plowed land is obligatory, and in soils with a heavy particle-size distribution spring leveling is recommended.
3. Fertilizer application.
- The optimal fertilizer rate is N60P60K60 for low soil nutrient supply, N30P30K30 or N30P30 – for medium soil nutrient supply, it is not advisable to apply fertilizer for high soil nutrient supply.
- It is better to apply fertilizer under the primary tillage.
- A pre-sowing application of 50 kg/ha of ammophos in physical weight (N6P26) provides a high effect.
- An effective application of N30 in the form of carbamide in the spring under cultivation or in the foliar application of plants at the stage of 2-4 pairs of true leaves development.
- Micronutrient deficiencies can be eliminated by using them in seed treatment or in the foliar application, either separately by elements or as part of a complex water-soluble fertilizer.
4. Pre-sowing tillage.
- To get uniform seedlings of oil flax a fine-grained soil structure is required, it should not be excessively crushed.
- When the soil reaches physical ripeness, early cultivation to a depth of 8-10 cm, followed by pre-sowing tillage to a depth of 4-5 cm to form a seedbed.
- The optimally prepared soil should consist of a loosened layer above the seedbed.
- If the topsoil dries out too much, the seed rolling should be carried out to ensure a uniform emergence of seedlings.
5. Sowing
- Seeds should be treated 2-3 weeks before sowing with an approved insect-fungicide composition together with preparations containing micronutrients.
- The sowing date is early when the soil at a depth of 5-10 cm warms to 6-8 °C.
- Seeding method is normal row sowing with a row spacing of 15 cm, narrow row sowing with a row spacing of 7.5 cm.
- The seeding depth is 3-5 cm.
- The seeding rate is 7-8 million germinated seeds per hectare (50-60 kg/ha).
- The optimal plant density by harvesting is 500-700 pcs/m2, minimum – 400 pcs/m2.
6. Sowing treatment.
- In spring, Frontier Optima, EC with an application rate of 0.8-1.2 /ha is used on the fields dominated by annual gramineous (bristle grass, cockspur, wild oat, etc.) and some dicotyledons (redroot pigweed, lamb’s quarters, charlock mustard) weeds under pre-sowing tillage or before oil flax seedlings.
- To suppress gramineous and dicotyledonous weeds at the stage of 2-4 pairs of true leaves development, approved herbicides are applied at the recommended rates.
- Herbicides should be applied in the morning from 4 to 10 a.m. and in the evening from 5 to 8 p.m.
- If necessary, approved fungicides and insecticides at recommended rates are applied to protect sowings from disease and pests.
7. Harvesting.
- Oil flax is harvested using the same machines that are used for spiked cereals.
- The mowing in separate harvesting or preharvest desiccation begins when 75 % of heads are mature, the moisture content of seeds is 10-12 %, of heads – 15-20 %, and the stems – 60 % or less.
- The cutterbar is subjected to higher requirements, the frequency of cutterbar oscillation is increased to 647 min-1, the knives are equipped with smooth segments.
- The gathering and threshing of swaths take place when swaths are dry. Before threshing, the combine’s hermetic sealing is thoroughly checked.
- Depending on the condition of the swaths, the threshing drum speed should be between 800 and 1300 min-1.