A Complete Guide on Flaxseed Cultivation

Flaxseed, also known as linseed is a crop usually grown for extracting oil. And fibers of flax are used to make cloth (commonly called linen cloth). Linen cloth is much older than cotton and wool. Flax is one of the oldest grown crops. Its cultivation originated in Europe, centuries ago. In India, flaxseed is commonly known as “Alsi”.

A few known varieties of flax crop in India are K-2, T-397, No.55, NP (RR) 9, LC 185, S-4, B-67, M-10, Jawahar-17, Jawahar-7 (R-7), Mayurbhanj, Hira, Mukta, Neelum, etc.

Climate and Soil requirement for Flaxseed

Flaxseed is a cold-season crop and is grown in both the northern and southern regions of India. It can be grown in loamy deep soil which is fertile, silty, and well-drained. Flaxseed can be sown as per utera system of cropping, i.e., sowing flaxseeds before harvesting of standing paddy crop so that it will utilize moisture efficiently under rainfed agro-ecosystem. And flax crop requires a relative humidity of 50-60% with 7-8 inches of rain.

Land preparation

Flax roots go deeper into the soil, so prepare the land by proper deep plowing. 2-3 ploughings can be done.

Sowing of Flaxseed

The required seed rate for this crop is 30-40 seeds kg/ha. And seeds can be sown according to the line sowing method with uniform distribution. And seeds must be placed 4-5 cm below the soil. Spacing between each row can be kept as 20-30 cm and between each crop can be kept as 10 cm.  The moisture level must be good as this crop requires more moisture. Make sure moisture is maintained in the germination phase and in each development phase, so proper irrigation practices must be done.

Manure and Fertilizer

Use FMY (farmyard manure) at the time of land preparation. If the soil does not have sufficient nutrients, then feeding with micronutrients will be a good idea. 30kg of N and 15 kg of P per ha can be given at the time of sowing. Feeding with good manure will result in good quality of seed and good yield.

Pest control measures

Termite, cutworm, wireworm, semi looper, leaf minor, bud fly, pasmo, aster yellows, gram pod borer are some of the pests and diseases which can harm the flax crops. To protect the crop, the following measures can be taken-

• Frequent weed control must be carried out.

• Avoid continuous cultivation of flaxseed in the same field.

• Use light trap and attractant for bud fly.

• Proper solarisation of soil by ploughing.

• Use of neem-based formulation to protect from diseases.

• The seed must be treated with Bavistinor Topsin-M to protect the crop from seed-borne diseases.

• Application of pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide for the protection from weeds.

Harvesting and yield

Flaxseed crop starts maturing by the end of February and depends upon winter conditions and the time of sowing.  When leaves are dry and balls turned brownish, the flax crop is ready to harvest. The average yield of a crop varies from 210-450 kg/ha of seed. And the irrigated crop yield can range from 1,200-1,500 kg/ha.

In India, the Flax crop is usually grown in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, West-Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana states.

Where to Export Flaxseed?

Flaxseeds can be sold to oil manufacturing industries and flax fibers to Linen manufacturing industries. Here are some links that may help you to export your flax crop.

https://www.go4worldbusiness.com/find?searchText=flax-seeds&BuyersOrSuppliers=buyers

https://www.infodriveindia.com/products/flax-seed.aspx

https://connect2india.com/Organic-Flax-Seeds-importers

https://india.tradeford.com/buyers/flax-seeds

This is all about the cultivation of Flaxseed or Linseed. To know more about the cultivation and care of other crops, stay connected to Krishi Jagran. Keep visiting...!!