People began to cultivate flax more than 7 thousand years ago. In Russia, this agricultural crop was recognized under Peter I. Today it is very common in our country. Oil flax is widely used in industry mainly for industrial oil. Cake and meal from this plant are a valuable feed with a high content of vegetable protein, which can be used in the cultivation of any types of farm animals. The technology of cultivating oil flax, like any other crop, has, of course, its own characteristics.
Biological characteristics
They cultivate this culture in our country, because it likes a dry climate, mainly in the steppe regions. Unlike the common flax or long flax, the oilseed variety is more heat-loving. Therefore, in such areas you can get the largest harvests of this crop. Quite often, oil flax fields are sown in the south of the forest-steppe zone.
The peculiarity of this culture in the first place is that at the initial stage it develops very slowly. That is, immediately after planting, seedlings can clog weeds. The technologies for the cultivation of oil flax, of course, were developed taking into account including this particularity of it.
The root system of this plant is pivotal, but it does not go too deep into the ground - about 40 cm. Therefore, the topsoil in the field with this crop must be nutritious. In the process of development, flax goes through 5 stages:
- seedlings with cotyledon leaves;
- Christmas trees - a phase from the appearance of true leaves to the budding phase;
- budding;
- bloom;
- maturation.
In nature, there are also varieties of flax for many years. However, in the fields mainly annuals of this family are cultivated. Oil flax belongs to such a group of crops.
The growing season of this plant lasts, depending on the variety and climate of a particular region, about 90-110 days. The seeds of this culture begin to germinate at a temperature of +5 ° C. When warming the earth at a planting depth of up to +8 ° , flax germination begins on the 6-7th day. At lower temperatures, this crop emerges approximately 2 weeks after planting.
Growth Features
This plant develops most rapidly in the third phase. After flax flowers give an ovary and fruit formation begins, the growth of this crop stops. In the seed ripening phase, the lignification of the stem gradually begins to occur.
It is difficult to care for flax mainly only in the first two periods of development. At this time, in the fields with the plant, an active fight against weeds is carried out.
At the beginning of the blossoming of flax flowers and subsequently, the care of planting becomes easier. The features of this culture include drought tolerance. Oil flax oil needs about 140% of its own weight during the growing season, that is, significantly less than many other agricultural plants. The highest need for watering in this crop occurs during the laying of flower tubercles and in the next 2-3 weeks before the formation of bolls. Insufficient moisture during this period can lead to a significant decrease in yield.
To various kinds of pests and diseases, this plant, like common flax (long flax), is considered resistant. Due to infection of plantings with harmful microorganisms or insects, crop losses in this plant almost never happen.
Oil Flax Breeding
This culture, therefore, is quite common in Russia. Selection work with her in our country, as well as in the world, therefore, quite active. When breeding new varieties, specialists can focus on increasing yields, resistance to adverse environmental factors, or, for example, changing the fatty acid composition of seeds for the better.
The main areas of oilseed flax cultivation in Russia are thus located in the forest-steppe and steppe zones. The following subspecies of culture can be grown in such regions:
- Mediterranean;
- intermediate;
- Eurasian.
At the same time, the best grades of oil flax are:
- Brook;
- Svetoch;
- K-6;
- Voronezh;
- Siberian;
Also, very often flax is planted in the fields of Tomsk-9 and VNIIMK-620. All these varieties are well known and cultivated in the fields in Russia for a long time. But of course, breeders never stopped working with this common culture. In the recent past, they bred, for example, a new variety of oil flax Kinelsky-2000. This plant is highly resistant to drought, lodging and shedding. Also, the ripening is considered a plus of the variety.
Predecessors
Of course, the technology of cultivation of oil flax, like any other agricultural crop, without fail provides for a certain rotation. Since this plant can be clogged with weeds at the initial stage of development, of course, it first of all requires clean fields. Excellent precursors for oil flax are:
- annual fodder;
- pure steam wheat;
- winter crops.
In wet years, this plant is often planted in a layer of perennial grasses, plowed after the first mowing and processed as a semi-pair. In dry years, pure steam, fertilized with superphosphate in an amount of 30 kg / ha, is best suited for this crop.
Which soil is suitable
The composition of the land in the flax fields is, as already mentioned, a relatively demanding culture. It grows best on chernozems and chestnut soils with good moisture and air permeability and a large amount of nutrients. On a wormy, light sandy and swampy land, a good crop of this crop cannot be obtained.
Autumn field processing
Since oil flax is not a perennial crop, it is sown in the fields, of course, every spring. In the autumn after the predecessor, the soil under this plant is subjected to autumn tillage, which can be dump or subsurface. A specific method is chosen depending on the climatic conditions of a given region.
The technology for the cultivation of oil flax was developed, among other things, taking into account the fact that the seeds of this crop are very small. In the presence of irregularities on the field they emerge in the subsequent very uneven. Therefore, the soil after the main treatment in the fall is also carefully leveled. This allows, among other things, to reduce crop losses during harvesting. Such a procedure is performed using special equipment at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of plowing.
Spring tillage
At this time, in the fields allotted for flax on the farm, produce:
- early spring harrowing;
- cultivation to a depth of seeding.
After sowing flax, the soil is rolled up with needle rollers. This contributes to a more even distribution of planting material on the field and the emergence of friendly seedlings. Since flax can be very affected by weeds in the initial stages of development, pre-sowing treatment for this crop is often combined with the application of herbicides, universal or special.
Improving soil composition before planting
Since flax loves nutritious soil, fertilizers can be applied in addition to herbicides before sowing their seeds in the fields. During autumn autumn plowing, land for this crop is improved with phosphorus-potassium compounds. In the spring, with pre-sowing preparation, grain fertilizers seeders make nitrogen fertilizers. Dosages of such formulations may not be the same for different regions. In any case, applying too much nitrogen fertilizer to the fields under flax is highly discouraged. This can lead to too rapid development of the green mass of oil flax and ultimately to its lodging. Harvesting plants in this case, of course, will be accompanied by significant losses.
Landing time
In most regions of Russia, this crop is planted in the second decade of May. In any case, the soil should be already warmed up to 8-10 ° C when sowing at the depth of incorporation. The optimum temperature of the earth for planting flax is considered to be 10-12 ° C. During this period, most types of weeds begin to actively emerge in the fields. When presowing cultivation, they are destroyed up to 90%. Accordingly, subsequently weeds do not clog planting.
Oil flax cultivation technology: sowing
This crop can be planted on farms in a row-wise way (15 cm) or narrow-row (7.5 cm). In seed planting, the row spacing is left at 45 cm. On average, the seeding rate of oil flax seeds is 7 million per 1 ha. At the same time, more planting material (up to 8 million) is used for sowing in the forest-steppe zone, and less (about 6 million) in the steppe. The seed placement depth is selected depending on the condition of the soil. They are planted 3-4 cm into the moist earth, and 5-6 cm deep into the dried ground. In no case should the planting material of this crop be buried too much. This is fraught with the death of some seedlings.
Although flax is slightly affected by various diseases, before sowing its seeds are etched to prevent fusarium, polysporosis, etc. with such drugs, for example, as:
- TMTD;
- "Agrosil";
- Vincit, etc.
Growing season
At first, special attention in the cultivation of oil flax was given to weed control. In the Christmas tree phase, fields with this crop are treated with herbicides. At the same time, they bring such funds when the height of the plants reaches 10-15 cm. The following are usually used as herbicides in fields with flax:
- “Furore Super”;
- "Fusilade";
- Bazagram, etc.
Sometimes the seedlings of this culture can be affected by a linen flea. From this pest, plantings are treated with Decis, Splender, and Bi-58.
Flax harvesting
Unfortunately, even with the exact observance of all the established technologies for sowing and care, this crop usually does not ripen evenly. Therefore, flax harvesting is a very complicated and responsible procedure. During the ripening of the seeds of this plant, its stems still remain very moist. With direct combining, they, respectively, are wound on the nodes of harvesting equipment. Therefore, in farms in most cases they use a separate method for harvesting oil flax.
Perform this procedure with the same technique that is used for crops. They begin to collect at a time when the number of matured boxes on the field is 75%. As attachments for flax harvesting, reapers with well-adjusted knife strokes and reinforced segments are used.
When threshing the rolls using the separate harvesting technique, they start when they dry well and the moisture content of the seeds drops to 12%. Drying of plants using this technology should not be allowed. This can lead to an increase in the percentage of injured seeds.
Flax heaps coming on current are subjected to preliminary cleaning. It is impossible to allow wet plant residues to remain in them. This can lead to self-heating of the mass and spoilage of seeds.
In some cases, direct harvesting can also be used to harvest flax for oil. This technology is used on weed-free fields with a very uniform crop ripening. In this case, there will also be losses during cleaning, but not too significant.
Seed drying
When using a separate two-phase method of harvesting flax, this procedure is usually not performed. They make it only when the seeds in the rolls for some reason still do not dry out to the required 12%. Drying in this case is carried out at a coolant temperature of a maximum of 55-56 ° C. The seeds of oil flax themselves when performing this operation according to the rules should not be heated above 35-45 ° C. The mass is usually cleaned before drying. There should not be large straw impurities in it, since this is fraught with its spontaneous combustion. And this, of course, can easily lead even to the occurrence of a fire in a storage place.
Features of cleaning on straws
The economic importance of oil flax is quite multifaceted. Basically, of course, this crop is grown to produce industrial oil, oilcake and meal. However, such linen in some cases in industry can be used for another purpose - for the production of fiber. When grown for this purpose, cleaning is done according to a special technology. Plants in this case are cut as low as possible. At the same time, in the fields when growing flax on fiber in the fall, reapers without copying shoes are used.
If the culture is grown at the same time to obtain fiber and seeds, its threshing is carried out with a combine with a single-drum apparatus. When using such equipment, the straw is less damaged.
To obtain tow, flax is subjected to trust formation. That is, plants are spread across the field during threshing with a combine. In the event that flax, using such a technique, does not mature to frost, it is left on the ground under snow until spring. The harvested trust is subsequently transported to flax processing enterprises.