Cultivation of Fiber and Oil Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) in No-Tillage and Conventional Systems. Part II. Influence of No-Tillage and Use of Herbicides on Yield and Weed Infestation of Oil Flax and the Physical and Biological Properties of the Soil

Abstract

No-tillage methods can help to reduce expenditures and improve profitability of the agricultural production. This issue has been widely discussed for the cultivation of many species, but there are no data on the subject concerning oilseed flax. The field experiments were conducted in the years that vary widely in the course of temperature and precipitation. Tillage method significantly affected the yield of flax in the interaction with the weather conditions. In the dry year, the cultivation method did not differentiate the flax yield, while in the optimum moisture year no-till resulted in a reduction of yield compared to conventional tillage. Weed control with herbicide has contributed to increased yield of linseed but the level of increase was higher with no-till compared to conventional cultivation. The number and weight of weeds in no-tillage flax was 50% lower comparing to conventional plowing in both variants of weed control. Weed control decreased the number and weight of weeds also by 50% regardless of cultivation method applied. Cultivation systems affect the size and composition of the soil microbial populations. No-tillage contributed to an increase of humic substances content in the soil environment, the quantity of soil bacteria, and the population structure.

Keywords:

• biological soil properties
• flax
• humic acids
• tillage systems
• weed control

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are deeply thankful to Professor Jerzy Pudełko. His insight, energy, and enthusiasm provided much of the inspiration that initiated our collaboration.