Can harvest and feeding management influence prussic acid levels?
There are several factors which can influence the level of prussic acid in flax. Stage of growth, crop fertilizer regime and harvest management is extremely important. When the plant is green and growing, the highest concentrations of prussic acid will be found in leaves and seeds. In the event of frost, new leaves growing on the flax will contain higher levels of free prussic acid than the more mature leaves and stems and possibly the seeds. Based on data for sorgham, another crop that can accumulate prussic acid, crops at risk will be located on fields that have soils high in nitrogen and low in phosphorus and potassium. With regards to harvest management, free prussic acid dissipates more rapidly then the prussic acid in the stems and leaves. It has been reported that proper haying and silage techniques can result in greater than 50 per cent of the prussic acid content dissipating due to enzyme activity and release of free cyanide in a gas form. Also, extending the storage time of t
