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Flax

 

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) production has a long history. Flax remnants were found in Stone Age dwellings in Switzerland, and ancient Egyptians made fine linens from flax fiber. Flax production moved west across the northern U.S. and Canada during the 1800s.

As settlers moved west, flax was one of the first crops produced. North Dakota farmers have grown flax since prairie sod was broken.

For production information see the extension publication A1038 Flax Production in North Dakota.

Several talks about flax production can be viewed. These were taped during the Getting it Right in Flax Production Conference 

Flax Variety Information

Flax variety performance results provides results from the various North Dakota State University Research Extension Centers. The relative performance of the varieties is presented in table format. Give special attention to yield results of those trials nearest to your production area when evaluating varieties in these trials. Also, attempt to view yield averages of several years rather than using only one year’s data as a determining factor. In addition, also consider other agronomic characteristics, such as maturity, lodging score and oil percentages, if available.

The agronomic data presented in the variety testing results are from replicated research plots using experimental designs that  enable the use of statistical analysis. The LSD (Least Significant Difference) numbers beneath the columns in  tables are derived from the statistical analyses and only apply to the numbers in the column in which they appear. If the difference between two varieties exceeds the LSD value, it means that with 95 percent probability the higher-yielding variety has a significant yield advantage. If the difference between two varieties is less than the LSD value, then the variety yields are considered similar. The abbreviation NS is used to indicate no significant difference for that  trait among any of the varieties. The CV is a measure of variability in the trial. The CV stands for coefficient of variation and is expressed as a percentage. Large CVs mean a large amount of variation that could not be attributed to differences in the varieties. In the tables, the mean indicates the average of the observations in the column. Only compare values within the table and look for trends for the desired trait among different experimental sites and years.
Oil content and harvested seed yield were adjusted to 9 percent moisture.

 Trial plots on NDSU cumpus

Flax trial on NDSU campus, Fargo, ND

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