Nutrition key to forage oats
RISING demand for feed is making it essential for forage oats to grow to their potential this season, and that means prioritising nutrition for the grazing crop.
Incitec Pivot Fertilisers agronomist Bede O’Mara said growers should not take a low-input approach where there was a heightened need to rest pastures and provide fodder to hungry animals.
“Choosing better paddocks and providing appropriate nutrition will help with achieving higher dry matter yields and better-quality forage oats for those important early grazing opportunities,” he said.
Mr O’Mara said growers and their advisers should soil test to identify appropriate paddocks for forage oats and determine fertiliser rates.
“The highest priority with forage oats is phosphorus nutrition, which needs to be addressed at planting,” he said.
“It’s relatively common for a lack of phosphorus to depress yields in oat crops, mainly because the crop is being grown on ground that’s known
❝Choosing better paddocks and providing appropriate nutrition will help with achieving higher dry matter yields and better-quality forage oats for those important early grazing opportunities. — Bede O’Mara
to be low in fertility. Don’t be caught out this season.”
Next most important is nitrogen to produce dry matter and achieve targeted protein levels. Forage oats also need good supplies of potassium and sulphur.
“Nitrogen can be applied pre-plant, at planting and top-dressed after grazing to help maintain the quality of the feed well into the season,” he said.
“However, potassium should not be applied with the seed at planting due to the salt index of the fertiliser. It should be applied four to six weeks prior to planting, or early in-crop under severe deficiency situations.
“If sulphur is needed, choose a sulphate sulphur fertiliser source for immediate availability to the crop.”
Mr O’Mara said northern alkaline soils often needed additional zinc for crops to achieve their potential.
“The best strategy is to apply a zinc-fortified starter fertiliser at planting in contact with the seed,” he said.
“Consider copper too, particularly in parts of the western Darling Downs where copper deficiencies have been seen in previous years.”