Oats

by
Dr. Susmita Das,
Asst. Professor,
Department of Agronomy
Faculty of Agriculture
Sri Sri University
 Oat (Avena sativa L.) belongs to family Poaceae and having chromosome number
2n=42 which is also known as jai, is a most important cereal fodder crop of winter season.

Economic
 Oat is one of importance:
the most important cereal fodder crops of rabi season in North, Central and
West Zone of the country.
 It provides soft and palatable fodder rich in crude protein (10-12%).
 The green plant is good forage and makes good hay and silage. The straw is useful roughage.
 Grains are used as concentrate for poultry, cattle, sheep and other animals.
 The grain is an important livestock feed and the unhulled, crushed fruit is the usual form in
which it is fed to ruminants and horses.
 Green fodder contains about 10-12% protein and 30-35% dry matter. It is fed to animals
mixed with berseem or lucerne green fodder.
 Oats grain is used widely for human consumption. The oat grain contains 66%
Carbohydrate, 11% dietary fibre, 7% fat and 17% protein.
 Oat inflorescence is panicle and oat grain is called caryopsis.
 Oats is an important Cereal crop as well as fodder crop. Cultivation of Oat is similar as
wheat crop.
 In India it grows well in Jammu and Kashmir Himachal Pradesh, U.P., Bihar, Odisha
etc.
 In Odisha, it can be successfully grown in the interior districts. Oat is an important crop
with lush green, succulent, nutritious fodder.
 Short mild winter in coastal areas does not allow the crop to grow well.
 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.
 Origin and history of Oat:
 Oats are a crop of Mediterranean origin, the domestication dates back to
ancient times.
 Oat seeds are reportedly found in 4000 year old remains in Egypt.

Classification:
 Oat (Avena spp.) has a taxonomic pattern similar to that of wheat,
consisting of a polyploid series of species with seven basic (x = 7)
chromosomes, i.e., diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid.
 Besides the wild species, there are cultivated forms at each ploidy
level:
 The diploid (2n = 2x = 14) - grey oat Avena strigosa,
 The tetraploid (2n = 4x =28) - Ethiopian oat, Avena abyssinica,
 and The hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) - red oat, Avena byzantina, and
common oat or white or yellow oat, Avena sativa.
 Chinese naked oats – Avena chinensis
 Wild oats – Avena fatua.

 Area and distribution:
 Oat is an important fodder crop of the world.
 Oat rank around sixth in world cereal production statistics following
wheat, maize, rice, barley and sorghum.
 In India it is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Maharashtra and Bengal.

 Cropping System:
 The suitable cropping systems are:
 Sorghum – oat – maize;
 Maize – oat – maize;
 Sudan grass – oat – maize + cowpea;
 Lobia – oat + mustard – maize + cowpea
 Climate and Soil

Climate:
 Oats are well adapted to cooler environment with 15-25°C temperature in winter
with moist conditions.
 Oats are cold-tolerant and are unaffected by late frosts or snow.

Soil:
 Oat can be grown on all types of soils except on waterlogged ones.
 It prefers to grow on loam to clay loam soil with adequate drainage. 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.
 It can be grow well under moderate acidic or saline conditions also.
 Two or three operations by harrow or cultivator followed by planking are
sufficient to destroy weeds and create desired tilth.
 POPULAR VARIETIES WITH THEIR YIELD

 Weston-11: It has been released in 1978 for cultivation in Punjab. Plants have height of about 150 cm. Grains
are long and amber in color.

 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 210 qtl/acre.

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

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

 OL 11: Released in 2017. It gives an average yield of 245qtl/acre. The plants are leafy, long and wide leaf.

 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 7-8 qtl/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 210 qtl/acre.

 Bundel Jai 851: Suitable for cultivation in all areas of India. It gives average green fodder yield of 188
Seed Rate: Seed rate of 25 kg/acre and 100 kg/ha
Seed Treatment: Seed should be treated with Captan or Thiram @3 gm/kg of seeds to protect
seeds from various fungal and pathogenic diseases.
Time of sowing:
Second week of October 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: Low tillering varieties should be sown with 20-25 cm row spacing while
higher tillering type should be sown 30 cm apart. Sowing of seed should preferably be done in
line with seed drill or behind the plough.

Manures and fertilizers:

 Apply 15 t FYM/ha 15-20 days before sowing.
 In single cut variety, (NPK: 80:40:40) is required as basal dose.
 In two-cut, NPK: 120:40:40 is needed and N =40 kg may be applied after every cut
whereas, in case of multi cut variety, NPK: 180:60:40 is needed with application of N = 40
kg after every cut.
Irrigation: Oats require 4-5 irrigations including the pre-sowing irrigation. In case

of multiple cuttings, field must be irrigated after each cutting. If soil is dry, first
irrigation is given before preparing the seed bed. Subsequent irrigation may be
given at 20-25 days. For multicut varieties, 7-8 irrigation required.

Harvesting: In single cut variety, harvesting is done at 50% flowering stage. In

two cut varieties, first cut should be taken at 60 days followed by second cut at 50
% flowering stage, whereas, in multicut varieties, first cut is taken at 60 days
stage, followed by second cut at 45 days after first cut and third cut at 50 %
flowering stage.
Yield: Green fodder yield: 400-500 quintals/ha can be taken in oats.