Flax producer Allen Kuhlmann of Rouleau, Sask., said there are choices of oilseed flax varieties that will produce shorter flax with less fibre.
Crop trials at the University of Saskatchewan indicate CDC Mons and CDC Gold fall into this category.
Some older varieties such as Vimy are taller with greater fibre content. Research at the
U of S also showed that CDC Mons’ seed yield was typically higher than the other two.
Narrow drill shank spacing and seeding using shovels or knives with spreaders will help produce more fibre by giving plants more room to create a canopy. This also reduces weed competition, said Alvin Ulrich of Crop Fibers Canada.
Keeping weed stems and other impurities out of the straw improves its acceptance by fibre buyers.
Maximizing flax plant height and yield require plant populations of more than 400 plants per sq. metre. To achieve this, seeding rates of 30 to 50 pounds per acre are required. Only 50 to 60 percent of flax plants typically survive, so seeding rates have to be adjusted to accommodate these losses, say Saskatchewan Agriculture agrologists.
