what is flax crop

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What is the crop flax?

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an ancient crop grown for seed and oil and for the strong fiber produced in its stems. The plant was domesticated approximately 7,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians produced fabrics from flax including linen, which they used to wrap their dead for embalming.

What is flax mainly used for?

The best grades of flax are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacture of twine and rope. Flax fiber is also a raw material for the high quality paper industry for use in printed banknotes and rolling paper for cigarettes.

What is flax plant called?

Linum usitatissimum (Linn.), commonly known as flaxseed or linseed, belongs to the family Linaceae. The flax plant is not a new crop and is native to West Asia and the Mediterranean coastal lands, Asia Minor, Egypt, Algeria, Tunis, Spain, Italy, and Greece; in all these areas, only fiber flax is cultivated.

What is flax give example?

flax, (Linum usitatissimum), plant of the family Linaceae, cultivated both for its fibre, from which linen yarn and fabric are made, and for its nutritious seeds, called flaxseed or linseed, from which linseed oil is obtained.

Where does flax come from?

It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. Currently flax is produced on about 12 million acres globally with the largest areas of production in Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada and China.

What is flax plant look like?

Flax grows to about 4-feet tall and 2-feet wide. Leaves are wider in the middle and shaped like a lance tip and grow alternating on the stalk. Leaves are typically bluish, pale green, 1 to 1 ½ inches long and only about 1/10-inch wide. Flax plant flowers are about ½ to 1-inch in diameter with five petals.

How do you identify flax?

Flax seeds are oval and flat shaped seeds that are slightly larger than sesame seeds. They have a crisp, chewy texture with a nutty flavour. Flax seeds can be brown or yellow in colour. Brown flax seeds are what you will likely find in grocery stores.

Is flax a flower?

The cup-shaped annual, sometimes perennial, flax flower begins blooming in May and will continue through September, producing abundant flowers that last only a day. Flax may reach 2 feet (1 m.) or more at maturity. The common flax plant, Linum usitatissimum, may be grown as a commercial crop in some areas.

How is flax grown?

Flax should be planted in the early spring, but may also be planted in the late summer/early fall in temperate climates. Choose a sunny site with well-drained, sandy soil. Direct planting is preferred, but seeds can be sown in flats to be transplanted later. Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost.

What material is flax plant?

LinenLinen is made out of flax, though sometimes the term “linen” is used incorrectly to label fabrics of other fibers that have a similar look and feel. While linen and flax are used interchangeably, flax can be found in other textiles as well, like lace and damasks.

Is flax A grass?

Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, Linum usitatissimum, in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates.

What is the local name for flax seed?

It is known by several vernacular names such as Alsi in Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tishi in Bengali, Agasi in Kannada, Aviselu in Telugu, Ali vidai in Tamil and Cheruchana vithu in Malayalam. Flaxseed is available in two varieties based on their colour brown and yellow linseed.

How is flax harvested?

Flax for fiber production is usually harvested by a specialized flax harvester. Usually built on the same machine base as a combine, but instead of the cutting head it has a flax puller. The flax plant turned over and is gripped by rubber belts roughly 20–25 cm (8-10") above ground, to avoid getting grasses and weeds in the flax. The rubber belts then pull the whole plant out of the ground with the roots so the whole length of the plant fiber can be used. The plants then pass over the machine and is placed on the field crosswise to the harvesters direction of travel. The plants are left in the field for field retting.

Where did flax come from?

The earliest evidence of humans using wild flax as a textile comes from what is now the Republic of Georgia, where spun, dyed, and knotted wild flax fibers found in Dzudzuana Cave date to the Upper Paleolithic, 30,000 years ago. Humans first domesticated flax in the Fertile Crescent region.

What is the difference between yellow and brown flax seeds?

Yellow flax seeds, called solin ( trade name " Linola "), have a similar oil profile to brown flax seeds and both are very high in omega-3s ( alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), specifically). Flax seeds produce a vegetable oil known as flax seed oil or linseed oil, which is one of the oldest commercial oils.

What are the different types of flax seeds?

Flax seeds occur in two basic varieties/colors: brown or yellow (golden linseeds). Most types of these basic varieties have similar nutritional characteristics and equal numbers of short-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Yellow flax seeds, called solin ( trade name " Linola "), have a similar oil profile to brown flax seeds and both are very high in omega-3s ( alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), specifically). Flax seeds produce a vegetable oil known as flax seed oil or linseed oil, which is one of the oldest commercial oils. It is an edible oil obtained by expeller pressing and sometimes followed by solvent extraction. Solvent-processed flax seed oil has been used for many centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing.

What is flax seed meal?

Golden flax seed meal. Flax is grown for its seeds, which can be ground into a meal or turned into linseed oil, a product used as a nutritional supplement and as an ingredient in many wood-finishing products. Flax is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Moreover, flax fibers are used to make linen.

Why is flax pond retted?

Pond-retted flax is traditionally considered of lower quality, possibly because the product can become dirty, and is easily over-retted, damaging the fiber. This form of retting also produces quite an odor. Stream retting is similar to pool retting, but the flax is submerged in bundles in a stream or river.

How to make flax into linen?

Before the flax fibers can be spun into linen, they must be separated from the rest of the stalk. The first step in this process is retting, which is the process of rotting away the inner stalk, leaving the outer parts intact. At this point, straw, or coarse outer stem ( cortex and epidermis ), is still remaining. To remove this, the flax is "broken", the straw is broken up into small, short bits, while the actual fiber is left unharmed. Scutching scrapes the outer straw from the fiber. The stems are then pulled through "hackles", which act like combs to remove the straw and some shorter fibers out of the long fiber.

Where is flax found?

A bast fibre, flax is one of the oldest textile fibres. Evidence of its use has been found in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland. Fine linen fabrics, indicating a high degree of skill, have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs.

How long does it take for flax to grow?

In most areas planting of the same land with flax is limited to once in six years to avoid soil exhaustion. Cool moist growing seasons produce the most-desirable fibre. Belarus.

What are flax, hemp, jute, and kenaf used for?

Flax, hemp, jute, and kenaf are characterized by a high proportion of long, flexible bast fibres that are readily separated and purified from the other materials in the plant. Consequently, such fibres have long been used for textiles and rope making. Most of this fibre…

How long is flax fiber?

The fibre strands, which measure about 30 to 75 cm (12 to 30 inches) long, are made up of individual cylindrically shaped cells with fairly smooth surfaces. Fine grades of flax fibres are made into woven fabrics and laces for apparel and household furnishings.

How to harvest a yellow stalk?

Harvesting the fibre usually takes place after the lower portion of the stalk has turned yellow but before the fruit is fully mature. The fibre is obtained by subjecting the stalks to a series of operations, including retting (the use of moisture and microorganisms to dissolve the tissues surrounding the fibres), drying, crushing, and beating.

What are the leaves of a plant?

Plants cultivated for seed are shorter and many-branched. The leaves, alternating on the stalk, are small and lance-shaped. The flowers, borne on stems growing from the branch tips, have five petals, usually blue in colour but sometimes white or pink. The fruits are small dry capsules composed of five lobes. flax.

Is flaxseed a food?

Though flax has lost some of its value as a commercial fibre crop owing to the availability of synthetic fibres, flaxseed has grown in popularity as a health food, and flax remains economically significant in a number of countries around the world, including China, Russia, and Canada.

What Is Flaxseed?

Simply put, flaxseeds are the seed of the flax plant. This plant has a long history both in the textile and food worlds. You may better know flax fabric by its common name, linen. Oil derived from the plant is called linseed oil, a type of vegetable oil that can be incorporated into cuisine as well. Now, for those tiny, smooth, brown or yellow and somewhat toothsome seeds, those get harvested and put into all sorts of dishes, from energy bars to salad toppings to fruit-filled crumbles.

Where did flaxseed originate?

The first known uses for flaxseed starts in Mediterranean and is found all the way to India, where the flax plant got cultivated for oils and fiber. The ancient Egyptians used it to make cloth and wrap mummies and the flaxseed oil helped preserve food. Then later the colonists picked it up and grew the plant in their home gardens. It's one of the oldest crops we know about. In fact, the Latin word for the plant is Linum usitatissimum, which means “very useful," something still promoted today.

What is the flavor of flaxseed?

The flavor of flaxseed isn't as prominent as the texture, but you will get a nutty essence with both the golden and brown seeds. The brown tend to have more of a toasty aspect to them, while the yellow prove a wee bit sweeter. The texture, however, can be a bit slimy when wet (think in a smoothie or on yogurt) and slightly chewy in dishes such as granola or in a salad. When you use ground flaxseed it can give a slightly nutty aspect to the dish, but it's not so strong as to overpower other flavors.

How much fiber is in flaxseed?

As far as superfoods go, flaxseeds should definitely be put on your list. One tablespoon of these shiny seeds contains approximately 1 gram protein, 2 grams fiber, 1,600 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, iron, calcium and other helpful nutrients. The same measurement has some fat, about 2 grams, but only a sixth of that is saturated.

Why should flaxseeds be refrigerated?

The flour and oil should be refrigerated in order to prevent spoiling, and need to get used up faster than the full seed. It's not a bad idea to put the whole flaxseeds in the refrigerator too, the coolness helps the seeds maintain freshness and allows them to last longer.

What are the different types of flaxseeds?

Only two types of flaxseed exist, golden and brown seeds. The golden present a subtle, slightly nutty flavor. As for the brown, you may pick up a similar taste, but much bolder. Golden flaxseeds, grown in North and South Dakota, contain a little less fat, but also less omega-3s. Brown appear in more stores and may be easier to find. Shoppers can also look for flaxseed oil and ground flaxseed, though keep in mind these two types have a shorter shelf life.

Can flax seeds be used in bread?

Heck, you can even add some of these seeds to the outside of bread, inside a pie, mixed in with chocolate chip cookies or layered on top of your strawberry-rhubarb crisp. Aside from throwing a handful on top of a dish, flaxseeds also work great ground into food.

Where is flax found?

Linum angostifolium, the wild ancestor of flax, can be found from the Black Sea to the Canary Islands. L. usitatissimum (meaning "of greatest use"), is the oldest cultivated fiber plant, with evidence of its growth and use dating back to the fifth millennium BC in both Mesopotamia and Egypt. While the former concentrated on wool production, the latter, employing the fertile fields of the Nile Delta, became experts at the creation of linen textiles which cannot be rivaled in strength and fineness of weave today.

Which countries produce flax?

Today, Eastern Europe produces 80% of the world's flax crop. France, China, Egypt, Holland and Belgium provide flax as well. Due to increasingly efficient mechanical harvest and processing, this ancient fiber is becoming more popular than a generation ago. Barber, Elizabeth Wayland.

How does flax fiber work?

Spinning flax into thread is facilitated by properties inherent to the fiber, including its length (two to three feet when will prepared), its high pectin content (when wet , the pectin acts as a glue to further bind fibers together) and the nodes which appear along the length of the fibers (similar to those found on bamboo) which incline them to join even more readily.

Why is weeding unnecessary when flax seed is sown?

If flax is sown properly, weeding is unnecessary because there is no space for unwanted plants.

How long did it take for a farmer to sow wheat?

After two or three years of a flax crop, a farmer needed to sow a less nutritionally-demanding crop, such as wheat. Later in the colonial period, farmers could incorporate flax into a rotation process which included heavy dunging or the sowing of cow peas a year or two before the next flax crop was to be planted.

What is the raw material for linen?

The plant which provides the raw material from which linen is made is an annual which grows two to three feet high on a slim, little-branching stem. It is this woody stalk, hollow when dried, which is harvested and ultimately manufactured into linen.

When was flax introduced to England?

L. usitatissimum is believed by many historians to have been introduced into England by the Romans; by the 16th century, laws were enacted requiring that a quarter of an acre (one rood) of flax be planted for every sixty acres under cultivation.

What was flax used for?

Before the spread of the mechanical cotton gin in the early 1800s, most Americans had a choice of two clothing fibers — wool or linen. Even after the advent of inexpensive cotton, linen fiber from the stems of flax would remain an important source of fiber for clothes and other products. In the early part of this century, flax was still being grown in most counties of Missouri.In addition to being a fiber source, flax was also an important oilseed in America until the mid-1900s. Linseed oil, squeezed out of flax seed, can still be found in most hardware stores and is used as a preservative finish on wood. Despite the valuable characteristics of both linseed oil and linen fiber, flax began to fade from American farms after the development of the petroleum industry, especially following World War II. Many farms moved away from a rotation of flax and small grains (wheat, oats and sometimes barley or rye), to a rotation of corn followed by soybeans.

Is flax seed brown?

Flax is not like a soybean plant that completely turns brown and drops its leaves before harvest. Instead, at the time when it is ready to be harvested, there will usually be a few flowers still in bloom and a few green leaves on the plant.

Is flax oil a fiber?

Nearly all U.S. flax is the oilseed type, grown for linseed oil or human food use. Fiber flax can be grown in the U.S., but most linen processors are in Europe. Fiber flax has reportedly been grown very little in the U. S. since the 1950s.

What is flax seed oil?

Flaxseeds are the golden yellow to reddish brown seeds of flax. These seeds contain phytoestrogens, which are similar to the hormone estrogen. The seeds also contain soluble fiber and oil. Flaxseed oil contains the essential omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

How long does flaxseed last?

Benefits seem to be greatest with whole flaxseed and when used for at least 12 weeks. Flaxseed also seems to work best in people with type 2 diabetes that is not well controlled. High cholesterol. Taking flaxseed by mouth seems to help reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein ( LDL or "bad") cholesterol.

How long does flaxseed powder help with breast pain?

Eating a flaxseed muffin daily for 3 months or taking flaxseed powder daily for 2 months seems to reduce breast pain that occurs at the start of the menstrual cycle. Obesity. Flaxseed may help reduce body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist size in adults who are overweight or obese.

What drugs interact with Flaxseed?

Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with FLAXSEED

When was flaxseed first eaten?

Flaxseed has been eaten as a food or used as a medicine since 5000 BC. Flaxseed is used for diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, breast pain (mastalgia), and swelling ( inflammation) of the kidneys in people with lupus.

Is flaxseed safe for pregnancy?

Some healthcare providers worry that this might harm the pregnancy. But there is no reliable clinical evidence about its effects on pregnancy. Until more is known, stay on the safe side and avoid use. Breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if flaxseed is safe to use when breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use. Hormone-sensitive cancers or conditions: Because flaxseed might act somewhat like the hormone estrogen, it might make hormone-sensitive conditions worse. Some of these conditions include breast and ovarian cancer. Until more is known, avoid taking large amounts of flaxseed if you have one of these conditions. High triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia): Partially defatted flaxseed, which contains less alpha linolenic acid content, might increase triglyceride levels. If your triglyceride levels are too high, don't take this type of flaxseed. Surgery: Flaxseed might increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery. Stop using it at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Does flaxseed help with osteoporosis?

Weak and brittle bones (osteoporosis). Taking flaxseed by mouth doesn't seem to help bone density in people with osteoporosis.

Why is flax a good crop?

Most farmers choose to cultivate flax because it is suitable for crop rotations and because it provides good returns on investment.

What is the scientific name for flax?

How to grow flax. The scientific name of flax is Linum usitatissimum, which can be roughly translated as “the most useful”. The name is self-explanatory, as flax seeds can be used for a variety of purposes, from linen manufacturing to industrial purposes as well as for food and feed purposes. Flax straw contains useful fibers suitable for ...

How much does flax yield?

Fibers obtained from white flower flax are harder, so they have a low value, as opposed to purple flower flax. Sometimes, farmers choose to cultivate different varieties in the same field. Typically, flax yields an average of 500-1,000 kg/ha.

How to plant flax seed?

The first step for the preparation of the seedbed is to review the types of crops previously grown in the field and the types of herbicides used.

Why is flaxseed meal used in pet food?

An increasing number of pet food producers is adding flaxseed meal in their poultry and animal feeds due to the amino acids it contains . If flax seeds are part of healthy diets today, in the past, flax was heavily used for industrial purposes.

What is flax fiber used for?

Flax fiber from the stem of the plant has been used to make paper, linen sheets, napkins, clothing and other items made of cloths. It is also suitable for fine paper products such as parchment paper and cigarette paper.

How long does it take for flax to grow?

Technical details about flax growing. Flax is an annual, grassy plant with a vegetation period of 85-115 days. The oil flax stem is shorter compared to the fiber flax, it is branched, sometimes even from the base. The total plant height of the oil flax is 40-50 cm. The fiber content in the stem of the oil flax is about 18% and of poor quality.

Why ground flax seeds?

Opt for ground flax seeds, as they are easier to digest.

Why are flax seeds so valuable?

Here’s our process. For centuries, flax seeds have been prized for their health-protective properties. In fact, Charles the Great ordered his subjects to eat flax seeds for their health. So it’s no wonder they acquired the name Linum usitatissimum, meaning “the most useful.”.

How much fiber is in flax seeds?

Flax Seeds Are Rich in Dietary Fiber. Just one tablespoon of flax seeds contains 3 grams of fiber, which is 8–12% of the daily recommended intake for men and women, respectively ( 17. Trusted Source. ). What’s more, flax seeds contain two types of dietary fiber — soluble (20–40%) and insoluble (60–80%).

What are the benefits of flax seeds?

2. Flax Seeds Are High in Omega-3 Fats. If you are a vegetarian or don’t eat fish, flax seeds can be your best source of omega-3 fats.

How many times more lignans are in flax seeds?

Interestingly, flax seeds contain up to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods ( 5 ).

How to use flax seed oil?

Flax seeds or flaxseed oil can be added to many common foods. Try the following: 1 Adding them to water and drinking it as part of your daily fluid intake 2 Drizzling flaxseed oil as a dressing on salad 3 Sprinkling ground flax seeds over your hot or cold breakfast cereal 4 Mixing them into your favorite yogurt 5 Adding them into cookie, muffin, bread or other batters 6 Mixing them into smoothies to thicken up the consistency 7 Adding them to water as an egg substitute 8 Incorporating them into meat patties

How many tablespoons of flax seed per day?

However, it’s recommended to keep serving sizes to less than 5 tablespoons (50 grams) of flax seeds per day.

Overview

Description

History

Uses

Nutrition

Cultivation

Harvesting

Processing