Botanical Name : Avena Sativa L |
Introduction |
· 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. The Genus Avena Comprises Of About Seventy Species, A Few Are Cultivated. A. Sativa And A. Byzantine Are The Main Oats Grown For Fodder And Grain. Oats Are Presently Grown In Temperate Parts Of The World Including USA, Canada, Europe As Spring-Sown Cultivars. In The Tropical Countries And Higher Altitude Region It Is Grown As A Winter Annual. World Oat Production Is Generally Concentrated Between Latitudes 35–65on And 20–46o S. |
· Oat Is The Most Important Cereal Fodder Crop Grown In Winter In North Western, Central India And Is Now Extending To The Eastern Region. Oat Ranks Sixth In World Cereal Production Following Wheat, Maize, Rice, Barley And Sorghum. It Is Important Winter Forage In Many Parts Of The World And Is Grown As Multipurpose Crop For Grain, Pasture, Forage Or As A Rotation Crop. Oats Are Consumed As Human Food And Fodder For Cattle. They Have A High Fat, Protein And Mineral Content. It Has Excellent Growth Habit, Quick Recovery After Cutting And Good Quality Herbage. It Is A Palatable, Succulent And Nutritious Crop. The Protein Quality Of Oat Is Excellent. Oat Requires A Long And Cool Season For Its Growth, Therefore, It Is Successfully Grown In The Plains And Hilly Areas Of The Country. In India It Is Grown In Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra And West Bengal. The Total Area Covered Under Oat Cultivation In The Country Is About 500 000 Ha. The Crop Occupies Maximum Area In Uttar Pradesh (34%), Followed By Punjab (20%), Bihar (16%), Haryana (9%) And Madhya Pradesh (6%). |
Botanical Description |
· Culms 40–80 Cm Tall; Blades Linear, 8–20 Cm Long By 4–15 Mm Wide; Ligule Chartaceous, Tongue-Shaped, Minutely Hispid On Backside, 2–3 Mm Long. Panicle Open, About 10–20 Cm Long. Spikelet’s Nodding, 1–2-Florets, Persistent, Not Falling Off When Mature, 2–2.5 Cm Long; Glumes Subequal, Chartaceous, Margin Hyaline, Rounded On The Backside, 7–11-Nerved, Sometimes Connected With Tessellate Nerves; Lemma Stiff, Hairy On The Lower Half, 7–9- Nerved, Aweless Or With A Long Straight Awn Arising From The Backside; Paleal Shorter Than The Lemma, Minutely Hairy On The Two Keels. Caryopsis Hairy; Tightly Enclosed Between The Lemma And Paleal, Hilum Linear. |
Cultivation Practices |
· Oat Grows Best In Loam To Clay Loam Soil With Adequate Drainage. They Produce Satisfactory Yields On Heavy Or Light Soils With Proper Moisture. It Can Be Grown Under Moderate Acidic Or Saline Conditions Also. A Seed Rate Of 80–100 Kg/Ha Is Recommended For Uniform Stand In Oats. Low Tailoring Varieties Should Be Sown With 20–25 Cm Row-To-Row Spacing While High Tailoring Type Should Be Sown At 30 Cm Apart. Sowing Of Seed Should Preferably Be Done In Line With Seed Drill Or Pore/Kera Behind The Plough. Sowing Time Varies From One Location To Other. Normally, Oat Sowing Should Be Started In Early October To End Of November In North-West To East Zone Of The Country. For Regular Supply Of Fodder From December To March, Scattered Sowing Is Also Advocated. In General, Addition Of 20–25 T/Ha Of FYM 10–15 Days Before Sowing With The Application Of 80 Kg N, 40 Kg P2O5/Ha To Single Cut And 120 Kg N, 40 Kg K2O/Ha To Multicity Varieties Promotes Good Crop Growth. In Double And Multicity Varieties, Top Dressing Of 40 Kg N/Ha After First Cut And Two Equal Split Doses Of 40 Kg N/Ha After First And Second Cut Should Be Done, Respectively. Oats Require 4– 5 Irrigations Including The Pre-Sowing Irrigation. If Soil Is Dry, First Irrigation Is Given Before Preparing The Seedbed. Subsequent Irrigations Are Given At Intervals Of About One Month Mostly After Each Cut. Timely Irrigation Improves The Tailoring Remarkably, Which Contributes To Higher Forage Yield. The Harvesting Of Single Cut Oat Varieties Is Done At 50 Per Cent Flowering (About 50–55 Days Of Sowing). In Double Cut Varieties, First Cut Should Be Taken At 60 Days Followed By Second Cut At 50% Flowering. However, In Multicity Varieties, First Cut Is Recommended At 60 Days, Second Cut At 105 Days And Third Cut At 50% Flowering. For Seed Production, The Crop Should Be Left For Seed After The First Cutting, Which Should Be Taken 50–55 Days After Sowing. For Good Re-Growth, First Cut Should Be Taken At 8–10 Cm Above The Soil Surface. |