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WintaLin is sown August / September and has an early, hassle-free harvest in mid July/early August often before Rape. Harvesting WintaLin in long summer days is straightforward and totally different to harvesting Spring Linseed in September. WintaLin is Winter hardy – experience has shown that only when temperatures dip below -12 to -13°C with no snow cover can crops fail. However, it is important to remember that certainly Oats and Beans are vulnerable too. Eighty per cent of the French Linseed crop is now WintaLin and this is grown in Central/Northern regions, which generally have colder and more severe Winters than in Britain. WintaLin has good resistance to lodging, which ensures an easy harvest and helps to maintain yields. WintaLin has a yield potential of up to 3.5 tonnes/hectare and all properly managed crops should achieve well in excess of 2.5 – 3.2 tonnes/hectare. WintaLin has been developed in the UK over recent years and has proved to be consistent, reliable and profitable. It is suitable for growing throughout the country.
It is an alternative to Winter Beans or Oats. Beans and Oats are no longer cheap to grow and do not have the margin potential of WintaLin. Increases in herbicide cost, as well as less reliability in controlling weeds such as volunteer Rape, Charlock and Grass weeds make these crops more risky.
Rape is widely grown because it is harvested early, allowing early establishment of following Wheat crops with optimum timeliness and soil conditions. WintaLin also provides these benefits, but without the slug risk associated with Rape.
