borage

[bernie]

Have any of you done any research on the harvesting of borage? Are there any new approaches to improve the amount we harvest?

[buss]

I have forwarded your question on to individuals in AAFRD who have been working closely with borage. I have asked them to post their responses in this forum for your viewing.

[piquett]

Sorry it took awhile to dig some information out for you. Because borage is indeterminate, it blooms and sets seed all season. This means a lot of shattering before harvest. It is cool days and nights in the last 10 days of seed maturation that determines the GLA content (reason for growing borage!) To maximize seed yield it is important to have lateral branches flowering. Because Borage is a succulent plant, high moisture tough stems are going into the combine. Swathing helps to remove some of the moisture. Swathing should be done when the first few flowers have lost their seeds. To prevent seed loss, swath when there has been heavy dew or light rain. Combining is done as soon as the wet material can be threshed out in the combine. Use of Reglone and glyphosate have been tried in the UK. They found swathing gave higher yields than use of preharvest chemicals.