Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-c9gpj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T11:02:00.593Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The importance of time of spraying, desiccant type and harvest time on industrial fibre production from stand-retted fibre flax (Linum usitatissimum)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2007

S. J. BENNETT ,
D. WRIGHT  and
G. EDWARDS-JONES
S. J. BENNETT*
Affiliation:
Henfaes Research Centre, School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, Abergwyngregyn, Llanfairfechan, Gwynedd LL33 0LB, UK
D. WRIGHT
Affiliation:
School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
G. EDWARDS-JONES
Affiliation:
School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: sarita@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Even and successful retting of flax through application of a desiccating herbicide and stand-retting is a major constraint to increasing its incorporation in industrial products. With the release of a new form of glyphosate based on the isopropylamine (IPA) salt with biactivator (Roundup Biactive, Monsanto Ltd), a field trial was planted using three flax varieties with differing levels of ease of desiccation at the Henfaes Research Centre, University of Wales Bangor in 2004. The crop was sprayed at four different times of maturity: mid-point of flowering plus 7 days (MPF+7), MPF+14, MPF+21 or MPF+28 using two different herbicide treatments; Roundup Biactive (Monsanto PLC) or Roundup Biactive+Restore (40% ammonium sulphate, AmegA Sciences PLC). Fibre quality was assessed following retting and the ease of decortication was measured. The highest fibre yields were obtained from the MPF+28 spray date, and from the Biactive herbicide treatment. Although lower yields were recorded with the Biactive+Restore treatment, the stems were easier to decorticate. It is suggested that an early sowing date and the use of the IPA salt-based glyphosate with biactivator, and careful monitoring of the crop during the retting process, contributed to the early and successful harvest from the MPF+28 plots, allowing mature seeds as well as fibre to be harvested from the flax plants.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 145 , Issue 6 , December 2007 , pp. 565 - 576
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anon. (1994). Flax: All your Questions Answered. Norfolk, UK: Goreham & Bateson (Agriculture) Limited.Google Scholar
Booth, I., Harwood, R. J., Wyatt, J. L. & Grishanov, S. (2004). A comparative study of the characteristics of fibre-flax (Linum usitatissimum). Industrial Crops and Products 20, 89–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, A. E., Sharma, H. S. S. & Black, D. L. R. (1986). Relationship between pectin content of stems of flax cultivars, fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes and pre-harvest retting. Annals of Applied Biology 109, 345–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Courtney, A. & Robinson, E. (1982). Glyphosate (N-(Phosphonomethyl) Glycine) as a pre-harvest retting agent in flax (Linum usitatissimum). In British Crop Protection Conference – Weeds, pp. 231–236. Brighton: British Crop Protection Council.Google Scholar
Dimmock, J. P. R. E., Bennett, S. J., Wright, D., Edwards-Jones, G. & Harris, I. M. (2005). Agronomic evaluation and performance of flax varieties for industrial fibre production. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 143, 299–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easson, D. L. (2001). Methods of retting flax and linseed and their effects on fibre yield and quality. Aspects of Applied Biology 65, 117–122.Google Scholar
Easson, D. L. & Cooper, K. (2002). A study of the use of the trimesium salt of glyphosate to desiccate and ret flax and linseed (Linum usitatissimum) and of its effects on the yields of straw, seed and fibre. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 138, 29–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easson, D. L. & Long, F. N. J. (1985). Flax growing and glyphosate retting. In 58th Annual Report 1984–85, pp. 21–31. Hillsborough: Agricultural Research Institute Northern Ireland.Google Scholar
Easson, D. L. & Long, F. N. J. (1992 a). The effect of time of sowing, seed rate and nitrogen level on the fibre yield and quality of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research 31, 163–172.Google Scholar
Easson, D. L. & Long, F. N. J. (1992 b). Pre-harvest retting of flax with glyphosate. In The Biology and Processing of Flax (Eds Sharma, H. S. S. & van Sumere, C. F.), pp. 213–228. Belfast: M. Publications.Google Scholar
Easson, D. L. & Molloy, R. (1996). Retting – a key process in the production of high value fibre from flax. Outlook on Agriculture 25, 235–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, R., Pooni, H. S. & Mackay, I. J. (1997). Quantitative evaluation of Linum usitatissimum varieties for dual-purpose traits. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 129, 179–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gubbels, G. H. & Kenaschuk, E. O. (1981). Desiccation of flax with diquat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 61, 575–581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, B. M. R. & Crothers, S. H. (1988 a). Causes of uneven desiccation of flax by glyphosate: poor penetration of the canopy and variable spray deposition. Annals of Applied Biology 122, 195–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, B. M. R. & Crothers, S. H. (1988 b). Pre-harvest retting of flax: effects of water stress on uptake and efficacy of glyphosate. Annals of Applied Biology 113, 61–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, B. M. R., Spence, L. & Crothers, S. H. (1985). Pre-harvest retting of flax with glyphosate: effect of growth stage at application on uptake, translocation and efficacy of glyphosate. Annals of Applied Biology 107, 263–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust (2003). GenStat for Windows 7th Edition v.7.2. Hemel Hempstead, UK: VSN International Ltd.Google Scholar
Long, F. N. J., Easson, D. L. & Frost, J. P. (1988). Laboratory determination of fibre content and quality of flax. Record of Agricultural Research, Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland 36, 27–36.Google Scholar
Meijer, W. J. M., Vertregt, N., Rutgers, B. & Van De Waart, M. (1995). The pectin content as a measure of the retting and rettability of flax. Industrial Crops and Products 4, 273–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munder, F., Furll, C. & Hempel, H. (2004). Advanced decortication technology for unretted bast fibres. Journal of Natural Fibres 1, 49–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sampaio, S., Bishop, D. & Shen, J. (2005). Physical and chemical properties of flax fibres from stand-retted crops desiccated at different stages of maturity. Industrial Crops and Products 21, 275–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheer-Triebel, M. & Bartsch, C. (1992). Selection in early generations of dual purpose flax for fibre and oil. Bodenkultur 43, 147–159.Google Scholar
Seaby, D. A. & Mercer, P. C. (1984). Development of a hand tool to test the degree of retting of flax straw. Annals of Applied Biology 104, 567–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, H. S. S. (1986). An alternative method of flax retting during dry weather. Annals of Applied Biology 109, 605–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, H. S. S. & Faughey, G. J. (1999). Comparison of subjective and objective methods to assess flax straw cultivars and fibre quality after dew retting. Annals of Applied Biology 135, 495–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, H. S. S., Mercer, P. C. & Brown, A. E. (1989). A review of recent research on the retting of flax in Northern Ireland. International Biodeterioration 25, 327–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, A. J. (1954). Quality in Flax. Lambeg, Northern Ireland: Linen Industry Research Association.Google Scholar
van den Oever, M. J. A., Bas, N., van Soest, L. J. M., Melis, C. & Van Dam, J. E. G. (2003). Improved method for fibre content and quality analysis and their application to flax genetic diversity investigations. Industrial Crops and Products 18, 231–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Soest, L. J. M. & Bas, N. (2002). Current status of the CGN Linum collection. In Report of an ECP/GR ad hoc Meeting on Flax Genetic Resources, 7–8 December 2001, Prague, Czech Republic (Eds Maggioni, L., Pavelek, M. & van Soest, L. J. M.), pp. 47–51. Rome, Italy: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).Google Scholar