Browning And Stem Break

BROWNING AND STEM BREAK(Flax)

" Browning " is a very familiar feature in flax fields in the North of Ireland. It begins to appear not long before pulling time, in more or less isolated and restricted spots. These, however, rapidly spread in extent, particularly under wet weather conditions, until the whole crop takes on a brown appearance instead of being of a golden-yellow colour. " Browning" considerably reduces the yield of fibre; and, since it is a fungus disease, which, like seedling " blight," is transmitted by means of infected seed, no attempt should be made to save seed for sowing purposes from a crop suffering from " browning," since no satisfactory practical method of rendering infected seed free from the disease has yet been worked out. " Stem-break " is caused by the same fungus as that which causes " browning " and results when the attack is fairly low down on the stem, and at an early stage. Owing to the attack the tissues of the stem are weakened and the latter becomes partially fractured, although often not entirely killed.