Integrating Cultural Practices with Herbicides Augments Weed Management in Flax

Abstract

Core Ideas Current weed management strategies in flax are limited.A multi‐factor weed management system is needed to control herbicide‐resistant weeds.Combining several factors has a greater impact on crop‐weed competition than any factor alone.The best combination is a competitive cultivar, seed early, high seeding rate, and use an in‐crop herbicide. Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important crop with value in both food and industrial markets. However, flax competes poorly with weeds and as a result, flax yield can be severely inhibited by weed competition. Factors that favor crop competitive ability will have great value in improving weed management in flax. This research sought to identify different combinations of seeding date (early vs. late May), seeding rate (400 vs. 800 seeds m−2), cultivar height (short vs. tall), and herbicide (present vs. absent) that could improve the competitive ability of flax. Field studies were conducted across western Canada over 3 yr from 2014 to 2016. Results showed that seeding a tall cultivar at a high seeding rate in early May combined with an in‐crop herbicide application increased crop establishment by 210 plants m−2. This in turn increased aboveground crop biomass and seed yield by as much as 549 and 617 kg ha−1, respectively. This combination of factors significantly reduced aboveground weed biomass by 50 kg ha−1, although no single factor or combination of factors affected weed seed fecundity. By seeding competitive flax cultivars at higher rates earlier in the growing season, and by combining this with an in‐crop herbicide, producers can develop sound cropping systems that provide more competitive flax crops and another profitable cropping option.

The herbicide treatment of oil flax on leached chernozem of the Western Ciscaucasia

“…Several Russian and foreign researchers dealt with the problems of herbicides application in flax cultivation technologies [2][3][4][5][6]. It was noted that in the conditions of western Canada, the application of herbicides provided a decrease in the weed biomass by 50 kg/ha, contributing to an increase in the flax yield to 0.6 t/ha [7]. Due to the wide variety of weeds that populate flax fields, it becomes necessary to use the tank mixtures of herbicides with various components that provide control of a wide range of suppressed weeds.…”

Stacked crop rotations and cultural practices for canola and flax yield and quality

“…Albrechtsen and Dybing (1973) and Kurtenbach et al. (2019), however, did not find the effect of seeding rate on flax seed weight. Stacked rotation and the traditional practice favored seed weight during the near‐normal precipitation in 2006 and 2007.…”

“…Kurtenbach et al. (2019) did not observe the effect of seeding rate on flax plant height. Greater seed yield than aboveground biomass increased harvest index in 2008 and 2010.…”

“…Albrechtsen and Dybing (1973) and Kurtenbach et al. (2019) found that higher seeding rate increased flax stand count. Near or above‐average precipitation (Table 1) probably enhanced stand count in 2006, 2007, and 2010.…”

“…Albrechtsen and Dybing (1973) reported that seeding rate had no effect on flax seed yield, but Kurtenbach et al. (2019) found increased flax seed yield with increased seeding rate.…”