Oat agronomy - response to applied nitrogen and time of sowing

Growers in medium to low rainfall regions are keen to grow oats as a break crop, either for hay or as a profitable grain crop; however, there is a need to identify management inputs and varieties that consistently meet quality specifications. Currently there is considerable interest in the high yielding milling oat varieties Bannister and Williams but they have not been adequately evaluated in lower rainfall environments in WA. Oat agronomy trials conducted in 2014 suggested that the grain quality of Banister and Williams was more sensitive to nitrogen inputs than established varieties like Carrolup in lower rainfall regions (Troup et al. 2015) but these trials were only sown in late May at the end of the ‘modern oat grower’ sowing window for milling oats.The aims of this study are to:1. quantify the impact of delayed seeding and N inputs on the yield and quality of hay and grain production,2. evaluate the responsiveness of Bannister and Williams oat varieties to applied nitrogen,3. determine if Bannister and Williams are suitable milling oat varieties for lower rainfall regions.