Weed control in flax is particularly important because flax is a relatively non-competitive crop. Weed seeds that are difficult to remove or cannot be cleaned out of flax and therefore are considered foreign material and cause downgrading are volunteer mustard, volunteer canola, wild oats and smartweed . Weeds Menu Insect Control Flax bollworms, grasshoppers , cutworms , army cutworms, bertha armyworms , beet webworms, aphids , aster leafhoppers and tarnished plant bugs can damage flax. For information on economic thresholds and control options consult the Field Scouting Guide and Guide to Crop Protection . Insect Menu Disease Control Seedling blight is the most common disease problem in flax and can be managed with the use of seed treatments.
Fusarium wilt is also common and can be managed through the use of resistant varieties.
Other diseases that also may affect flax and occasionally are economically important are pasmo , stem break and browning. For further information on disease control consult Manitoba Agriculture's Field Scouting Guide and Guide to Crop Protection . Stem dry-down in particular can be hastened to reduce the interval before harvest Swathing Flax can be swathed when 75 per cent of the bolls are brown. Swathing is preferred to straight combining when the crop is not uniform in maturity, or if weeds are present. Once in a swath the seed is less susceptible to frost damage Timing Immature seeds will turn black as a result of an early frost.