Science Letters

Evaluation of different oat (Avena sativa L.) varieties for forage yield and related characteristics

Syed Awais Sajid Shah a*, Lal Hussain Akhtar a, Rashid Minhas a, M. Shahjahan Bukhari a, Amir Ghani b

a Agricultural Research Station, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

b Maize and Millet Research Institute, Yousufwala, Sahiwal, Pakistan

Abstract

The ample provision of quality fodder is essential for sustainable dairy industry. The development of oat varieties possessing higher forage yield potential will help to produce abundant quantities of fodder for cattle. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted to compare the forage yield of twelve oat (Avena sativa L.) varieties at Agricultural Research Station, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, during the year 2012-2013. Randomized Complete Block Design was used for the layout of the experiment having three replications with plot size of 1.8 m x 6 m. Drill method was used for seed sowing. Data was recorded for plant height, leaf area, tillers per plant, tillers per meter row and green fodder yield. Sgd Oat-2011 was the tallest variety (129.6 cm) while Sgd-4 was the shortest one (82.3 cm). F-411 was found to have a broader leaf area (70.83 cm�) compared to other varieties. F-411 and DN-8 had maximum number of tillers (12 and 11), respectively, while varieties Sgd-4, F-403 and Sgd Oat-2011 had least tillers (6). Sgd-3 and No-708 produced highest fodder yield (80 tons/ha) while Hay produced the lowest yield (63.72 tons/ha). Sgd-3 possessed highest number of tillers per meter row (211) while variety Colabah had less number of tillers per meter row (139). From the results, we found that variety Sgd-3 and No-708 showed better performance than other varieties used in the trial.

Keywords: Avena sativa, quality, forage yield, abundant fodder, Bahawalpur.

Received June 06, 2013 Revised September 15, 2014 Published online first October 15, 2014

*Corresponding Author: Syed Awais Sajid Shah Email: awaiskazmi44786@yahoo.com Phone: +923127008790