Flax Cultivation Management Tips: Practical Methods to Increase Yield
Flax is an annual herbaceous plant in the flax family (Linaceae). Flax is one of China's main fiber crops, and there are also oil-type varieties. It is grown over a wide area, and the annual demand for flax in China is very large. Therefore, many people are continuously expanding their planting area, hoping to increase their yields. In fact, doing a good job of management during cultivation can also effectively increase yields, so what exactly should be done to increase yields? Let's take a look together below!
1. Timely Sowing
During its growth period, flax must go through vernalization and receive sufficient light, otherwise its flowering and seed-setting rate will be affected and decline. Therefore, we must pay attention to the sowing time. Although sowing appropriately early will reduce plant height, it can effectively increase the seed-setting rate and seed quantity. It will also strengthen lodging resistance. When sowing, the specific sowing time should be determined according to the growing region. For example, in northern regions, sowing should be done from April to June each year; if it is for seed use, then it should be done in early May. In the south, sowing should be carried out after the rice harvest.
2. Sowing Density
Sowing density is very important for the growth of flax, and it will have a certain impact on the flowering and seed-setting rate of flax. Based on past cultivation situations, the emergence rate of flax is around 75%, and the survival rate is only about half. Most of the reasons are overly dense sowing and poor land preparation. When planting, we must control the planting density well. Before sowing, do a good job of land preparation, plow it about 30 cm deep, carry out disinfection and weeding, and then apply sufficient base fertilizer. When sowing, use the drilling method and keep the row spacing at about 15 cm, appropriately reducing the sowing rate. Under such conditions, flax has a high rate of uniform emergence, the plants are distributed evenly and reasonably, and plant branching and fruit will increase noticeably.
3. Rational Fertilization
Flax has relatively comprehensive nutritional needs. When fertilizing, we must pay attention to the nutrient ratio and application amount of the fertilizer. When soil fertility is sufficient, too much nitrogen fertilizer will reduce the lodging resistance of flax, cause flax lodging, and lower the long fiber rate. Therefore, we must control the proportion of nitrogen fertilizer well and increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, which can effectively improve the yield and quality of flax. When topdressing, we should control the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers at about 1:4:4, which is a relatively ideal ratio in flax cultivation.
4. Topdressing Foliar Boron Fertilizer
When growing flax, boron is also indispensable. If flax lacks boron during growth, it will cause flowers to shrink, prevent pollen tube formation, lower the pollination and fertilization rate, and lead to the phenomenon of flax flowering but not setting seed. Therefore, after topdressing nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, we should promptly spray foliar boron fertilizer after flax flowers. This can effectively increase the yield of flax. Appropriately spraying foliar fertilizer can increase the seed yield of flax, reduce cultivation costs, and improve the utilization and conversion rate of fertilizer.
The above is a brief introduction to methods for increasing flax yield. When growing flax, we should also pay attention to selecting good seed varieties. Some varieties have high stem yield but low seed yield, while others are the opposite. Therefore, when selecting seeds, we should try to choose dual-high varieties, or choose varieties with high yield corresponding to our own planting direction. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!