Protocol Status
Section Title
Flax Seeding Rate
Trial Information
The purpose of this project is to quantify the agronomic and economic impacts of three different flax seeding rates in alternating strips across the field.
- The grower will seed their normal seeding rate in 4 strips, alternating with 4 strips each of a lower and higher seeding
- The width of a strip must be at least as wide as the combine pass, preferably wider. Harvest length should be not less than 1,000
- The alternating strips of the flax seeding rate can be planted by using GPS to plant every other strip with one seeding rate and then filling in the skipped passes with the second seeding rate.
- Take a seed sample from planter (about ½ an ice cream bucket).
- Harvesting must ensure at least one “pure” combine pass from each treatment (no mixing of yields from two different seeding rates).
Results
After three years of conducting the flax seeding rate trial, zero sites have had statistically significant yields between treatments. Plant counts were recorded in every treatment and site and there were 10 out of 17 site years that did see differences in plant stand between seeding rates.
Quality analysis (oil % and protein %) was run on the four 2024 sites. All treatments at each site were consistent, with no affect on quality by plant population.
Additional Considerations: Lower seeding rate and plant populations can reduce crop competitiveness to field pest. Uniformity of crop maturity will be more variable with lower seeding rates, reducing crop protection product efficiencies.