 |
ProCrop |
Treating Seed
More uniform stands of flax are frequently obtained when the seed is treated with a suitable fungicide. Seed treatment has been particularly effective in improving stands when planting mechanically or naturally damaged seeds. Nevertheless, sound, uninjured flaxseed should always be selected for planting if available.
Treating seed with an approved fungicide at the recommended rate protects against damage from some seed-borne diseases. Treatment is most effective against pathogens carried on seed by may protect the germinating seed to some extent against injury from soil-borne organisms that cause damping-off and seedling blight. If wireworms have been a problem in a prospective flax field, a seed protectant which also contains an insecticide may be used.
Clean, dry seed, may be treated several weeks in advance of seeding without affecting germination of the seed. The beneficial effort of treatment is increased if the seed is treated at least 24 hours before sowing.
CAUTION: SOME CHEMICAL FUNGICIDES ARE HAZARDOUS; THEY SHOULD BE HANDLED AND STORED WITH CARE. READ AND FOLLOW EXACTLY THE DIRECTIONS SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURER.
CONTROLLING WEEDS
Small leaves and relatively short growth habits are factors that make flax a good companion to crop for establishing grass or legume stands but make it a poor competitor with weeds. Unless a field is relatively free of weeds, the application of a herbicide or mixture of herbicides will likely be necessary for maximum flax seed production. The choice of herbicides will depend on the weed species and whether or not the flax is under-sown with a grass or legume. Herbicides are currently available for control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in flax. At the rates used on flax, these herbicides cannot be expected to give adequate control of perennial weeds. It is better to control perennial weeds elsewhere in the rotation than to attempt to control them in the flax crop. Since chemical weed control practices for flax, and the crops preceding flax in the rotation, are subject to change, specific current recommendations should be obtained from local representatives of the Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Experiment Station or other qualified source. See Extension weed control circulars, North Dakota W-253, Minnesota Ext. Bulletin 400 and South Dakota FS 525A.
Back to Treating
Seed - Disease - Flax Menu
Back to Flax Menu
Back to Main ProCrop Index
