Effect of Weeds and Seeding Rate on Some Growth Characteristics and Oil Content of Three Cultivars of Flax

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season of 2020-2021 in a farmer’s field in the Abu Flis area, which is located in the Al-Habbaniyah district of Anbar province, Iraq. The objective was to study the effect of two weeding treatments (weed free and weedy treatment throughout the growing season) and three seeding rates (30, 40, and 50 kg ha−1) on some growth and oil percent % characteristics of three cultivars of flax (local, Sakha 4, and Sakha 6). The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) with a split-split plot arrangement with three replicates. The results showed that the weedy treatment led to a significant decrease in plant height, stem diameter, root dry weight, and the number of main and fruiting branches per plant by 5.16%, 20.73%, 32.42%, 56.18%, and 46.24%, respectively, compared to the weed free treatment Seeding rates also had a significant effect on most of the studied characteristics. The seeding rate of 30 kg ha−1 resulted in the highest weeds density and the highest average stem diameter, root dry weight, and the number of main and fruiting branches per plant, while recording the lowest plant height.