COMPETITION BETWEEN LINSEED FLAX AND SAPONARIA VACCARIA

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Abstract
Yields of flax (Linum usitatissimum) seed and straw were reduced by competition with 30 to 37 plants of Saponaria vaccaria L. (cow cockle) per m2 in field plots on heavy clay soil in Saskatchewan. Competition intensified as weed density increased. The presence of 400 weeds/m2 in 1964 and 1,013/m2 in 1965 reduced flax seed production by 61% and 73%, respectively. Competition produced a reduction in branching at the base and in the inflorescence of the flax plant rather than a reduction in the stand of flax.S. vaccaria plants were affected by competition as the density of this species was increased in a crop of flax. The average yield of straw, number of capsules, number of seeds and weight of seed per plant of S. vaccaria decreased with increasing density. At high densities, the number of seeds per capsule and weight per seed also decreased. The total yield of weed seed per plot increased with density up to around 67 to 127 plants/m2 in flax, but declined with higher densities. Straw production by S. vaccaria per plot continued to increase with increasing density.Total dry weight production by crop and weed together per unit area exceeded that of the crop alone.

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