OATS

Oat is an important Cereal crop as well as fodder crop. Cultivation of Oat is similar as wheat crop. It is mainly grown in Temperate and Subtropical climates. It can also thrive well in high-altitude tropics. They are very popular due to their health benefits. Oat meal is very famous food. Oats is rich in proteins and fiber. They also help in weight loss, controlling blood pressure and for building strong immune system.

It can be cultivated on all kinds of soil. Well drained loamy soil rich in organic matter is suitable for cultivation. pH range of 5 - 6.6 is optimum for oats.

Haryana Javi-114: Early sowing variety. Released by CCS HAU, Hisar in 1974. Suitable for all over India. The variety is resistant to lodging. Suitable for multi cut. It gives an average yield of 50-230qtl/acre green fodder, 54qtl/acre and 83qtl/acre seeds.

OL-9: Suitable for cultivation in all irrigated areas of Punjab. Seeds are of medium size. Gives average seed yield of 7qtl/acre and fodder yield of 230qtl/acre.

Kent: It is suitable for growing in all areas of India. Average plant height is 75-80 cm. This variety is resistant to rust, lodging and blight. It gives fodder yield of 210qtl/acre.

Harita (RO 19): Released from MPKV, Rahuri in 2007. Suitable for multi cut variety. It gives an average yield of 200qtl/acre green fodder and 40qtl/acre dry matter. The variety is resistant to leaf blight disease. 

Bundel Jai 2004 (JHO-2000-4): Released from IGFRI, Jhansi in 2002. Suitable for North East and North West regions. Suitable for single cut. It gives an average yield of 200qtl/acre green fodder and 40qtl/acre green fodder. The variety is tolerant to crown rust, powdery mildew, leaf blight and root rot.

OL 125: Released from PAU, Ludhiana in 1995. Suitable for cultivation in north-west and central regions. Suitable for single cut or multi cut. It gives an average yield of 240qtl/acre.

(Bundel Jai 851) JHO 851 and OL 529 are also suitable varieties for oats.

Other state varieties:

OL-10: Suitable for cultivation in all irrigated areas of Punjab. Seeds are of medium size. Gives average fodder yield of 270qtl/acre.

Brunker-10: It is a quick growing variety having fine, narrow, smooth leaves. It is resistant against drought. It can be cultivated in areas of Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

HFO-114: It is suitable for cultivating in all oat growing areas. It was released in 1974 by HAU, Hisar. This variety is tall and it is resistant to lodging. It has bold seeds and has an average yield of 7-8qtl/acre of seed.

Algerian: This variety is suitable for irrigated areas. Average plant height is 100-120 cm. It has slow early growth and light green color leaves.

OS-6:  Suitable for cultivation in all areas of India. Gives average green fodder yield of 210qtl/acre.

Bundel Jai 851:  Suitable for cultivation in all areas of India. It gives average green fodder yield of 188qtl/acre.
 

Land should be properly prepared to form a weed free field. Ploughing should be done 6-8 times to gain higher yields. Oat crop can tolerate higher pH levels than barley and wheat. Propagation in Oats is done through seeds. To protect crop from soil borne diseases, spray of Quinalphos@200 ml/acre by mixing in the 150 ltr water.

Time of sowing
Second to last week of October is optimum time for sowing seeds.

Spacing
Spacing of 25-30 cm should be kept between rows.

Sowing Depth
Depth should be 3-4 cm.

Method of sowing
Sowing is done through drilling method, zero tillage drill.
 

Seed Rate:
Seed rate of 25 kg is required for one acre land.

Seed Treatment:
Seed should be treated with Captan or Thiram @3 gm/kg of seeds to protect seeds from various fungal and pathogenic diseases.
 

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

FYM should be added at the time of land preparation. Apply 32 kg of Nitrogen in form of (Urea 70 kg) and 16 kg of Phosphorus (in the form of SSP@100 kg) per acre. Apply half dose of nitrogen and full dose of Phosphorus at the time of sowing. Apply remaining amount of Nitrogen, 30-40 days after sowing.

Oats are mainly cultivated as rainfed crop. But if they are grown as irrigated crop, two irrigations should be given at 22-25 days interval from sowing.

Weed management is not necessary in case if plants become successful to make a good crop stand. Weeds are less likely to occur in oats. 1-2 hoeing can be given as intercultural operations.

• Pest and their control:
  

Aphid: It is the main pest of oats. It causes considerable damage by sucking of cell sap. It results in distortion and mottling of leaves. Dimethoate 30EC @0.03% helps to prevent aphid attack. This fodder should not be fed to animals for at least 10-15 days after spraying.

• Disease and their control:
  

Leaf Blotch: Fungus establishes itself inter-cellular, tends to produce conidiophores which emerges through stomata and bears single terminal conidia. These conidia are brown to black in color, tapered at apex, 4-6 separate. Primarily infection occurs through these conidia. Secondary infection occurs through air-borne spores. Seed treatment should be done properly to manage this disease.

Root Rot: It is caused due to root parasite. It can be cured by proper seed treatment during seed sowing.

Oats are fully mature and ready to harvest after 4-5 months of sowing. To avoid grain shedding, Crop should be harvested in early April month. It gives an average yield of 165-200qtl/acre.