AJAY - Developed from the cross 74Ab1952/74Ab2608, cooperatively by USDA, Agricultural Research Service and the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. 74Ab2608 is a sister selection to Monida. It was released in 1991. Ajay is a short strawed spring oat, with white kernels and equilateral panicle. Because of the short straw it is resistant to lodging.
APPALOOSA - Developed from the cross of CI2874/'Cayuse' and released by the Washington Agricultural Experiment Station in 1978. It is similar to Cayuse in general appearance. The color of the lemma varies from light to dark yellow and may or may not have grey to brown areas, or the entire lemma may be brownish yellow. The kernels are mid-long, slender and glabrous. Appaloosa is tolerant to barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV).
BORDER - Developed from the cross of Otana//Coker x 848-1-1-2/Cayuse by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A. and the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. It was jointly released in 1982, in cooperation by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A., the Idaho and Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Stations. Border has short, strong straw and has been recommended for irrigation throughout Montana.
CAYUSE - Selected from a cross of Craig/Almo made at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. It was first released by Washington Agricultural Experiment Station. This variety was selected because of its tolerance to the "red leaf" disease of oats and its resistance to Helminthosporium blight. It is a high-yielding oat on both irrigated and dryland, but about average in test weight. Cayuse has a pale green plant color, short stiff straw and yellow kernels at maturity. The panicles are open and spreading.
MONIDA - Developed from the cross of 'Otana'/'Cayuse' cooperatively by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana Agriculture Experiment Station. It was released in 1984. The kernels are creamy-white in color and similar to Otana. Monida has a good yield in Montana trials. It is superior to Cayuse in test weight and less than Otana. Monida is susceptible to crown rust and prevalent races of stem rust.
NEWDAK - Developed cooperatively by New York and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Stations and released jointly in 1990. Newdak is medium height, medium maturing with white kernels. It is resistant to stem rust and tolerant to barley yellow dwarf virus.
OGLE - Developed from the cross of 'Brave'//'Tyler'/'Egdolon 23' cooperatively by the Illinois Agriculture Experiment Station and Agricultural Research Service, USDA. It was released in 1980. It is a yellow-kerneled oat variety with awns 1-3 cm long. The kernel is slender, non-fluorescent and tapered at the tip. Ogle is very tolerant to barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). It is susceptible to some races of stem rust, crown rust and loose and covered smut.
OTANA - Developed from a cross of CI5345/Zanster, cooperatively by the Agricultural Research Service, Idaho and Montana Agricultural Experiment Stations. It was jointly released by the Montana and Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station in 1976. It is a relatively-tall oat with dark or bluegreen foliage. It has a higher test weight than Cayuse and Park, moderate resistance to lodging and produces plump, short, white kernels. The disease reaction is unknown under Montana conditions.
PARK - Developed from the cross of Clinton//Overland by the Idaho Branch Experiment Station, at Aberdeen, in cooperation with the Crops Research Division, U.S.D.A. It was named by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and released in 1953. Park is resistant to stem rust races 7 and 7A but susceptible to race 8. This variety is susceptible to Victoria blight. It has medium height plants with stiff straw and upright leaves. The kernels are white, plump, and short.
PAUL - Developed from the cross of CI9221/Hudson// RL3038/Dal/3/RPB120-73/ RL3038//Noble/ 4/0 2998-22/5/0 22557A6-100-5/3/RI3038/Dal//Noble by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and released in 1994. Paul is a naked oat in which the hull threshes free from the groat. It is a tall, late-maturing oat. Paul is resistant to stem rust and crown rust. It is tolerant to barley yellow dwarf. Approximately 95% of Paul groats thresh free of lemma and palea.
POWELL - Developed from the cross of Cayuse/Monida by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. It was released in 1997. Powell is intermediate in height, with white kernels.
RIO GRANDE - Developed from the cross 74Ab2608/Cayuse, cooperatively by USDA, Agricultural Research Service and the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. 74Ab2608 is a sister selection to Monida.
WHITESTONE - Developed from the cross of Porter/4/M23/RL3038// Otana/3/Froker/RL3038// Hudson by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. It was released in 1994. The kernels of Whitestone are white, medium-sized and fluorescent. It is resistant to crown rust and stem rust.. It has moderate tolerance to barley yellow dwarf.
Oats are grown in Montana as an annual forage crop and as a feed grain crop for livestock. Oats are frequently used in rations for dairy cattle, sheep, horses and for young growing animals. Oats are also used in Montana as a partial substitute for corn.
Oat straw is used both as a roughage for wintering breeding stock or for younger animals and as bedding.
Only the spring-type oats are adapted to Montana's environment. Winter-type oats will not survive the winters.
Over the past 10 years oat acreage planted has ranged from 244,000 to 781,000 acres. Oats have ranked fourth in cropland acreage planted each year and sixth in value of crop produced.
Adaptation
Oats are grown throughout Montana on both dry and irrigated land. Best yields are obtained in regions with cool temperatures and adequate moisture. Hot, dry weather, when the crop is filling, frequently results in poorly filled kernels and low yield. For good kernel development, oats need more growing season moisture than any other small grain. Consequently, oats produce best when seeded on the heavier clay-loam soils.
Oat yields in excess of 100 bushels per acre frequently occur with timely irrigation and with recommended fertility treatments.
Soil
Silt and clay-loam soils having good moisture retention ability are best for oat production. Sandy soils, coarse textured soils, or soils with a shallow surface are not desirable for oats. Oats may be more tolerant of poorer soil conditions, and successful production requires management practices that conserve and store soil moisture.
The alluvial river valley soils in Montana are well adapted to oats. Oats are not tolerant of salty, saline or alkali conditions and production should not be attempted when such conditions predominate.
Rotations
The alternate crop and fallow system on dryland assures growers of higher yields of both grain and forage. In higher rainfall areas, such as foothills of the intermountain region, oats may follow wheat as in a fallow-wheat-oat rotation.
Oats are sometimes used as a companion crop when establishing legumes
and grasses on irrigated land. Cayuse is a preferred variety for this purpose because of
its shorter, stiff straw which has less tendency to lodge. Oats are seldom a high-income
crop on irrigated land but they can be substituted for any other cereal crop in a
continuous crop production system. As with any crop, high productivity is dependent upon a
high fertility level. Irrigate as needed to maintain adequate moisture in the root zone.
Two irrigations may be adequate on the fine textured soils with good water-holding
capacity, while three irrigations -- at tillering, boot and flowering to watery kernel
stage -- may be needed on the course-textured soils. Apply enough water during the last
irrigation to carry the crop through the filling stage.
Seed Quality
"Just any old oats will do!" That seems to be the philosophy of many farmers growing oats for feed. Furthermore, they grow a poor crop to prove it!
However, select oats for seed with the same basic concern you use for wheat or barley. Do not plant seed "loaded" with wild oats -- or any other trouble-some annual or perennial weed. Too many growers make this mistake -- and tame oats do not revert to wild oats with each successive generation of increase! Yes, "fatuoids" (or "fake wild oats") may be seen -- a slight amount of crossing may be expected when the two are grown together. CHANGE OAT SEED FREQUENTLY -- USE CERTIFIED CLASS SEED! The oat seedstock on many farms needs to be improved. A few cents spent to eliminate wild oat and other weed seed mixtures will return a higher yield and added dollars. Plant only seed that has been germination and purity tested!
Too many oats are seeded uncleaned. Always clean seed to remove "inert" materials, separable weed seeds and some crop mixture. Seed free of inert material (trash) prevents plugging of the seed feed mechanism in the drill, resulting in a more uniform stand and the best possible yield.
Date and Rate of Seeding
Sow oats early for highest yields. Plant oats prior to May 1 in all areas. Note the table on page 1 of this manual for seeding rate.
Equipment
Any type of ordinary drill used for either winter or spring grain is satisfactory to seed oats. A drill equipped with packer wheels is best.
Seeding Depth
Do not seed deeper than necessary to assure a stand -- 1 1/2 inches being the maximum. Seeding deeper than 1 1/2 inches will reduce tillering and may lower the yield.
Seed Treatment
Before sowing oats, treat the seed with a good fungicide. Certain seed treatments prevent infection by smuts and certain other seed-borne fungi. Your local seed cleaning and treating plant operator or county agent can advise you on the best seed treating chemical to use. "REMEMBER" -- CHEMICALS CAN BE TOXIC -- PLEASE OBSERVE THE PRECAUTIONS!"
Diseases
In eastern Montana oat stem rust (Puccinia graminis avenae) and Victoria blight (Helminthosporium victoriae) are two diseases known to be a problem when oats are grown under irrigation. Oat varieties differ in their susceptibility to these diseases. Select varieties for the purposes intended (grain, hay or silage) and choose those with the best disease resistance.
Harvesting
Oats grown on dryland for grain can be harvested by direct combining. Irri-gated oat fields may have to be swathed to get uniform drying and to reduce shatter loss. The grain must be dried to a moisture content of 14 percent or less in the header swath. Oat fields to be direct combined should be harvested when they reach maturity to prevent loss from shatter by high winds.
It is common practice to windrow fields of oats that become weedy prior to maturity. A
large number of green weeds will slow oat maturity, making combining difficult, and the
oats may heat in storage. Do not windrow oats when the ground surface is wet from recent
rains, or if the weather is unsettled and rain is forecast within a day or two.
Oats for Hay
Oats harvested at the mid-dough stage make the best quality of hay. In this stage the nitrate level is usually low, but not always. An abnormal growing season, plant growth interrupted by drought, high rates of nitrogen fertilizers applied or available nitrogen present in relation to available soil moisture may result in a high nitrate level in the oat stems and leaves. Take at least 20 plants randomly selected in a field or 20 samples from a stack for testing. The samples or plants must be taken from different locations throughout the field or stack. Your county agent may have a kit for testing for the presence of nitrates. If not, send your samples to the Chemistry Station, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.
If the nitrate level in a field is found to be above safe feeding levels, delay harvest until the crop has become more mature. Even a forenoon of sunshine and favorable conditions for plant development may reduce the nitrate to a level safe for haying and feeding.
MontGuide MT9301 provides information that will help oat hay producers in formulating a ration blending another roughage with the high nitrate oat hay for safe feeding. If you have to go higher in blending, you may be wise to burn or destroy the oat hay. Caution! Don't consider it for bedding. MontGuide MT9301 is available at your County Extension Office.
Storage
Use a tight bin that will prevent the entry of birds and rodents, but with good ventilation. Clean walls and floors of bin thoroughly to remove any old grain. Spray walls and floor with a residual insecticide such as methoxychlor or malathion.
Check stored grain frequently to detect any "hot spots," roof leaks, insect damage, bird or rodent entry and even for theft.
To discourage grain theft, use numbered confetti in all your grain bins at harvest time.
Marketing
Seed oats of known variety, free of wild oats, perennial weeds, other common weed pests and crop mixture usually are in demand each spring. Explore the race horse market for a premium for high quality oats.
Most oats are grown for farm or ranch use or for the local feed grain market. Montana oat producers are generally too far removed from the market for human food consumption and cannot compete favorably because of transportation costs.
Unless the market is strong do not sell oats at harvest -- store and hold for a later market. Livestock numbers, wintering conditions, roughage and other feed grain supplies and prices influence the oat market.
Wild Oat Identification
The wild oat plant in the seedling stage differs from cereal grains in the "twist of the leaf." See the accompanying illustrations.
Dig up the entire plant in the seedling stage, being careful not to tear the seed loose from the coleoptile. Examination of the seed may provide positive proof of wild oats, even when found in a cultivated oat field. Note characteristics shown in illustrations.
In later stages of development (heading stage) the wild oat does not have auricles (see illustration) nor a true collar. Hairiness of the leaf is usually above the collar and the hairs are shorter than is found in cultivated oats.
Currently there are no chemicals for the control of wild oats in cultivated oats.
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