Effect of Cutting Management on Growth, Yield and Quality of Fodder and Grain in Oat (Avena Sativa L.) Varieties

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season 2014-15 at Crop Research Centre (Chirauri) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.) to evaluate the effect of cutting management and varieties on performance of oat and chemical properties of soil. The area lie at a latitude of 29° 40' North and longitude of 77° 42' East with an elevation of 237 meters above mean sea level. The soil of the experimental field was well drained, sandy loam in texture and slightly alkaline in reaction. It was medium in available nitrogen and phosphorus but high in available potassium with an electrical conductivity (I :2, soil: water suspension) of 1.6 dS/m. The treatment comprises 4 varieties (Kent, JH0-822, JH0-851 and JH0-2000-4) and 4 cutting management ( 40, 50, 60 DAS and no cut), replicated thrice in a factorial randomized block design. The data on growth, physiology, green forage yield and grain yield and its contributing traits were calculated on net plot area basis (I 7.5 m2 ), whereas content and uptake in grain and straw alongwith soil available nutrients and production economics, were recorded as per the standard procedure. The results indicated that growth parameters at all the stages (plant height, number of tillers, number of leaves and dry matter accumulation), leaf area index, green forage yield(l26.42 q ha.1 ) yield attributes (such as, panicle length, grain panicle"\ number of spikler1 and test weight), yields viz., grain (22.20 q ha"1 ), straw (88.28 q ha"1 ) and biological ( 110.48 q ha"1 ) and uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in oat were significantly higher in Kent as compared with JH0-822, JH0-85 I and JH0-2000-4. Likewise, no cut resulted into higher values of above mentioned parameters than their respective counterparts like cutting at 40, 50 and 60 DAS, except green as well as dry forage yield which was observed significantly higher under cutting at 60 DAS. Kent variety alongwith no cut gave highest gross returns, net returns and B: C ratio. Besides, this combination also improves the soil nutrient status than rest level. Thus growing of Kent with no cut system produce highest grain and straw yield over rest of the combination. Moreover, variety Kent togetherwith cutting at 60 DAS prove to be better for obtaining maximum forage yield