Top Crop Manager: It’s time to consider functional rotations for flax

Research points to weed suppression possibilities with winter cereals.

Flax is notoriously uncompetitive. It has a slower growth habit, a shorter stature and less branching than other crops, and thus has a tougher time competing with weeds, particularly wild oats and cleavers, says Dilshan Benaragama, an assistant professor and the crop protection chair at University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.

Producers currently have limited in-crop herbicide options. Group 1, Group 4 and Group 6 herbicides are widely used in Canada to control weeds in flax, says Benaragama, but herbicide resistance is on the rise for Group 1 and Group 2 herbicides. “Herbicide resistance is a challenge for many crops, but this can be greater for a less competitive crop like flax,” he adds.

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