Wild About Oats.pptVIP

Wild About Oats April 8, 2008 Grande Prairie, AB Richard Lussier Manager Agronomic Services Viterra Factors affecting oat yield and quality Seeding rate Seeding date Crop Nutrition Disease Insects Residual Herbicides Weed Control Choosing the Right Land for Oats Free of wild oats Recent forage breaking RR canola stubble Known nitrogen levels Risk of lodging if over applying N Optimum Seeding Rates Target 24 plants per square foot. High plant populations are your only method of controlling wild oats in-crop. Use thousand kernel weights (TKW) Large amounts of variability among seed sources. Calculate Your Seeding Rate ! Seeding Rate = 10 * T.K.W. * Desired plant Stand (lbs / acre) --------------------------- % of Survival ex: TKW = 40 (count 1000 kernels weigh) Stand = 25 plants / sq ft (optimum stand) Survival = 90 % survival rate Seeding Rate = 10 * 40 * 25 ----------------- = 111 lbs / acre 90 % Seeding Date - Grain Yield Bushels/acre Bill May, Agriculture Canada Seeding Date Indian Head Saskatoon Melfort Brandon May 1 127 145 60 May 15 126 103 142 58 June 1 91 94 114 48 June 15 65 67 105 Effect of Seeding Date on Oat Yield Source: AFSC Nutrient Demand of Oats Nitrogen Strategy for Oats Soil test a must! Nothing good can come of over-fertilizing oats Optimum yields at 100 lb/acre of soil + fertilizer nitrogen Good agreement with existing recommendations When in doubt, apply a little less as opposed to a little more oats appear to be more efficient than other cereals at finding residual nitrogen AAFC / U of M Research Additional Research Observations Increased lodging with excessive nitrogen Decreased test weight and reduction in plump kernels with excessive nitrogen Lodging? Increased tillering? Delayed maturity Potash Little to no research available on the response of oats to potash on high K soils A must where K is deficient – soil test! Claims for potash include helping minimize lodging in tam