Evaluation of Fibre Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Performance under Minimal and Zero Tillage in Eastern Canada

Abstract

The feasibility of producing fibre flax in minimum tillage or zero tillage (ZT) systems was investigated. The results were variable between the sites, which differed in soil type and previous cropping history. Tillage regime had no impact on fibre flax phenological development including number of days to emergence, days to flowering and days to harvest at either site. However, tillage regime had a significant effect on mean stem diameter, dry matter content and plant height at all three sampling dates at the sandy loam site, and a significant effect on mid-season plant height at the clay site. At the sandy loam site, ZT plots had the highest populations of plants with the finest stem diameters, the lowest branching ratios, but the shortest plants by the end of the season. Overall, plant densities were greater, stem diameters thinner, and biomass production higher in the heavier soil of the clay site. These results indicate that under the growing conditions present in 1998, fibre flax can successfully be grown in minimum or ZT systems on different soil types in Eastern Canada. Moreover, the growth of fibre flax in these systems does not compromise the proportion of tall plants having thin stems and minimal branching, a critical quality parameter for fibre flax production.

Impact of Tillage Intensity, NPK Fertilization and Weed Control on Seed Yield and Yield Components of Flaxin Newly ReclaimedLands

“…Meanwhile, flax plants, in the second season were taller with CT system compared to NT system. These findings were in accordance with those reported by Couture et al (2004) who found that zero tillage (ZT) produced shorter plants compared to minimum (RT) or conventional tillage (CT) and attributed to better seed bed preparation and seed placement in RT and CT compared to ZT. Foulk et al (2007) reported that CT produced dry plant matter yield compared to NT.…”

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Fibers for Composite Reinforcement: Exploring the Link Between Plant Growth, Cell Walls Development, and Fiber Properties

“…Nowadays, for cereals and flax, the similar in-line seeding technique by means of the same types of crop seed drills is used, controlling the line intervals (Summerscales et al, 2010). The line spacing commonly ranges from 10 to 15 cm, usually 12.5 cm for flax (Figure 10A), with a distance between two consecutive seeds of about 0.5 cm (determined by the speed of the drilling machine), leading to about 0.3 cm between two consecutive stems (Couture et al, 2004a,b; ARVALIS - Institut du végétal, 2014).…”

“…For flax, the best way to regulate the homogeneity of plant emergence is to control the sowing depth of simultaneous stands; namely, a sowing depth of 2 cm is preconized for a homogeneous emergence (O’connor and Gusta, 1994; Couture et al, 2004b). To a lesser extent, the seedbed preparation, such as soil rolling especially for lighter soils (Couture et al, 2004b) or the use of medium conservation tillage to prevent soil erosion (Lafond et al, 1996; Couture et al, 2004a), can be a complement to the use of conventional 2-cm sowing depth.…”

Effect of Tillage on Double-cropped Flax/Cotton Production and Fiber Properties

“…Flax fiber strength was improved and greater for CD2H than NT, potentially suggesting the quality of fiber is influenced by tillage practices under the soil and growing conditions tested. However, other conditions could have contributed to fiber strength reductions such as Couture et al (11) who demonstrated that RT leads to shorter plants with less biomass, producing fewer and shorter fibers. Dew retting was performed on identical soil surfaces for tillage treatments with differential retting not likely causing differences in this study.…”