REGINA Ñ With flax acreage expected to increase this spring, researchers recently gathered to review research results for farmers and local agronomists.
At the agronomy update in Regina, Agriculture Canada researcher Guy Lafond from Indian Head, Sask., reviewed research results dealing with seeding dates and seeding rates for flax.
With 19 years of flax research activity under his belt, Lafond used data from his own experiences, along with results from other researchers.
Flax seeding date
“Some early research made one scientist suggest that you lose a quarter of a bushel of yield, for every day you delay seeding from May 1, based on 10 years of data, but when you look at our data, I don’t think that’s the case,” Lafond said.
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“Data from Manitoba suggested little yield difference from seeding dates of May 10 to May 20, with yield decreases starting at a June 1 seeding date or later.”
Lafond said a wide range of studies on flax seeding dates provided an equally wide range of results. While there is no absolute right seeding date, he said information from the Manitoba Crop Insurance Management Plus program indicates flax has a flexible optimum seeding date.
“For pretty well all the crops, we see a rapid decline in yield (with later seeding dates). For barley and spring wheat, it’s almost like a straight line from the end of April to the end of June, with the drop in yield. With peas, we see a little blip. You’ve got the two first weeks of May that doesn’t seem to make much difference. But with flax, we seem to have a wider window. We can go to about the third week (in May) before it starts to drop off.”
He said he was confident in these results because of the large number of producers who contribute information.
“Even with some erroneous results, the number would compensate for that.”
In terms of seeding date, he said there seems to be a stronger relationship between early seeding and higher grain yields in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.
“When we move into Saskatchewan, it looks as though the window for seeding is quite wide. I don’t think people should be too concerned about seeding their flax early. I like to think we have to about the long weekend to seed flax.”
Lafond did comparative studies alongside canola and found that canola benefits much more in Saskatchewan from early seeding than flax.
“Most people who grow canola also probably grow flax. So by all means, seed your canola first, then move into your flax. I think you’ve got until the long weekend to put your flax in, without compromising or having a large negative effect on yield.”
Lafond said the flax production guide produced by the Flax Council of Canada and the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission suggests that a seeding rate between 12 and 18 kg per acre will result in 500 to 800 seeds per sq. metre. Assuming 50 to 60 percent emergence, that’s 250 to 500 plants per sq. metre.
“We feel 300 is the minimum you should be shooting for. If you’re between 300 and 400, that seems to be a good range.”
Lafond said Agriculture Canada research in Morden, Man., suggests seed yields are stable over a wide range of plant populations. High plant populations can result in lodging, but it’s not a high probability occurrence. In Saskatchewan, flax growers shouldn’t worry too much about lodging.
“I did a lot of work on plant populations in flax, looking at yield ranges from 10 to 40 bushels per acre and we’ve never had a problem with lodging.”
He said has gone as high as 32 kg of seed per acre and hasn’t had a serious problem.
“In all the years I’ve been working at Indian Head, I routinely seed one bushel (25 kg) per acre. Some people think that’s excessive, but in terms of risk management it’s a good place to start, to make sure in most situations you are going to be above the 300 plants per sq. metre. And if you do have a year (such as 2004) where plant populations shoot up to 550 plants, it’s not going to have a negative effect on yield.”
He recommended erring on the high side rather than on the low side because flax seed is not an expensive part of the production system. Whether it’s an extra five or seven kg, it doesn’t add much extra cost, he added.
Using various row spacings and fertilizer rates, Lafond has conducted trials using nine to 32 kg per acre of seed. Depending on the year, seeding rates of nine, 23 or 27 kg were required to get above the magic 300 plants per sq. metre.
“It’s not an easy thing to attain the plant populations of 300 or more,” he said.
“I find it a lot easier (to get adequate plant populations) with barley and wheat. You seed two bu. per acre and you’re pretty sure you’re going to have above 200 plants per sq. metre.”
After testing seed rates from nine to 32 kg per acre, Lafond found there wasn’t a large yield response to seeding rate. Even in years where there were high plant populations, it didn’t have a negative effect on yield. And in high plant population years, lodging wasn’t an issue.
“I think one bu. per acre is a really good rule of thumb,” he said.
“High seeding rates won’t reduce grain yields. They can sometimes increase lodging, but that tends to be a low probability occurrence. High seeding rates can also accelerate maturity and provide extra weed competition.”
Ideally, producers will get enough moisture to get the crop going well.
“Once the surface of the soil dries up and the flax gets going, it’s very difficult for the weeds to get established. Flax has the ability to pull out more water from a given volume of soil than other crops.”
The result is a dry soil surface and a hostile environment for weeds.
