Seed yield response of fodder oat varieties to row spacing and seed rate in north-west parts of India

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is an important rabi cereal fodder crop of north-west India. Recently, a number of fodder oat varieties have been released in country-wide adaptability. However, limited information on optimal row spacing and seed rate for these fodder oat varieties in seed production system is available especially in the north-western parts of the country, where it is primarily grown for fodder purpose. Hence, field experiments were conducted during winter season from 2016-17 to 2019-20 to evaluate the effects of row spacing and seed rate on growth, yield attributes and seed yield of two fodder oat varieties. When averaged across years, there was 10.4% increase in oat seed yield with 30 cm row spacing over 20 cm row spacing. Higher oat seed yield in wide rows during all the years of the study was mainly attributed to more number of effective tillers, seed per panicle and panicle length. The 1000-seed weight, however, remained unaffected by the row spacing. An increase in seed rate from 37.5 to 62.5 kg/ha resulted in a decrease in seed yield and various yield attributes. However, there was no significant interaction between row spacing and seed rate for seed yields. In conclusion, for reaping maximum oat seed yield, the fodder oat varieties should be planted at 30 cm row spacing and with 37.5 kg/ha seed rate