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The paper explores the technological aspects and methods involved in the preparation of flax straw within the framework of separate fiber flax harvesting technology. This particular technology allows for the prolonged maturation of seeds in the field. The study demonstrates that during the process of seasoning flax straw in the form of unprocessed stem ribbons, the seeds within the capsules undergo natural drying and ripening. This approach enables a reduction in fuel consumption compared to the traditional scheme while obtaining high-quality fiber and seeds suitable for sowing. (Research purpose) The objective of this study is to assess the quality of raw flax during the stage of straw flax preparation. (Materials and methods) The study investigates the processes and technical units involved in fiber flax harvesting, adhering to regulatory guidelines during the stages of stem pulling, seasoning, turning, picking, and processing are thoroughly examined. (Results and discussion) The research results have revealed the indicators for biological productivity of straw and seeds during the process of straw flax preparation. Under different seeding rates, the yield of straw flax ranges from 23.1 to 24.8 centners per hectare during a 14-day seasoning period and from 20.8 to 22.2 centners per hectare on the 21st day. These findings demonstrate that the average yield under various harvesting conditions is 20-30 centners per hectare. The flaxseed yield, ranging from 2.9 to 4.1 centners per hectare at different maturation periods, can be considered satisfactory. Furthermore, it was observed that the elongation of the flax ribbon increases after turning, compared to its initial state, when the combine speed is 5.3 and 7.8 kilometers per hour, remaining within the acceptable limits. However, at a speed of 9.6 kilometers per hour, there was a violation of agrotechnical requirements. (Conclusions) The separate harvesting of flax has proven to be effective during a three-week period of raw flax seasoning. It is important to note that when turning unprocessed flax ribbons, the working speed should not exceed 9 kilometers per hour.

The five-year research devoted to the study of harvesting methods and desiccation effects on the yields and quality of oil seed flax of dual use was conducted in the field conditions on the dark-chestnut soil in the South of Ukraine during 2013-2017. The study defined the highest effectiveness of pre-harvesting desiccation of the crop by glufosinate ammonium in the dose 2 L ha-1 followed by direct harvesting that can increase the yield of flax seeds by 0.15 t ha-1 or by 11.9%, and the yield of flax straw – by 0.22 t ha-1 or by 12.7%. At the same time, the increase in the yield is accompanied by the improvement of qualitative parameters of the straw through better orientation of the stems in a roll, the share of fibres, which are longer than 200 mm, in comparison with the separate harvesting increases by 8%, and the contamination of the straw decreases 3 times in comparison to the variant without desiccation. Desiccation conducted by using glyphosate preparation in the dose 3 L ha-1 allowed increasing of the net profit by 15.67 euro ha-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]