Competitive Effects of Wild Oat in Flax

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Wild oat (Avena fatua L.) competition severely reduced flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) yield. Averaged over two locations and two fertility levels, 80 wild oat plants/sq yd reduced the yield 9.4 bu/A (60.1%) in 1964 and 160 wild oat plants/sq yd reduced the yield 21.5 bu/A (82.1%) in 1965. At Fargo, 160 wild oat plants/sq yd reduced flaxseed yield 16.1 bu/A (86.1%) in 1966. Flaxseed yield components, including bolls/sq ft, seeds/boll, plants/sq ft, and weight/1000 flaxseed were determined. Although all components were reduced by wild oat competition, a reduction in the number of branches and flax bolls/sq ft accounted for 90.7% of the yield loss. A reduction in weight/1000 seed and the number of flax plants/sq ft contributed 7.0% and 4.6% to the yield loss, respectively. Competition from wild oat also reduced flaxseed quality. The percent oil was reduced in all 3 years of the experiment. Iodine number of the oil was reduced, primarily because of an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in linolenic acid.