Project Description
The Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) and Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation (NARF) conducted field demonstrations in 2014 on behalf of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax). The overall project objective was to demonstrate the response of flax to foliar fungicide at two separate locations in Saskatchewan where pasmo is frequently encountered. Additional objectives were to evaluate the effects of row spacing (Indian Head, Saskatchewan) and nitrogen (N) fertility levels (Melfort, Saskatchewan) along with interactions between these factors and crop response to fungicide. Both locations were negatively impacted by excess precipitation in the late spring and heavy wild oat pressure was also a limiting factor at Indian Head; thus, flax yields were considered somewhat below average at both locations. For the individual demonstrations, the effect of fungicide on flax yield was not significant at either location in 2014; however, previous field trials have clearly shown that yield benefits to foliar fungicide application are substantial in years where pasmo is more severe and infects the crop earlier in the season. There were no significant interactions detected between fungicide and row spacing or N fertilizer but this may not necessarily have been the case if disease pressure and yield potential had been higher. At Indian Head, flax yields did decline linearly with increasing row spacing but yields for individual levels ranging from 25-41 cm did not significantly differ. Furthermore, with relatively low yields due to crop injury early in the season and heavy wild oat pressure, the potential for yield reduction at wide row spacing may have been higher than normal. At Melfort, flax responded well to rates of N fertilizer that were substantially higher than the rates currently used and recommended in Saskatchewan. Further testing is required for more confident recommendations; however, this suggests that flax may benefit from higher N fertilizer rates than are typically being applied.
