10 LODGING IS Amajor issue in the production of milled oats, and the entire value chain agrees it's an area that needs attention. A University of Guelph study offers insight into how agronomic management practices can improve yield and standability. Joshua Nasielski, assistant professor in the department of plant agriculture, led five experiments at the Ontario Crop Research Centres in New Liskeard and Winchester in 2020 and 2021. "We have four site-years of data, and we ran the statistics in a rigorous way, so I'm really confident about the conclusions we can draw," he says. The study evaluated changes in row spacing, seeding depth, seeding rate, nitrogen applications and the use of a plant growth regulator against a standard management protocol. Three oat varieties with different lodging susceptibility were grown — Camden, Nicolas and Nice. NARROW ROWS BOOST YIELD Researchers decreased typical row spacing from seven inches in New Liskeard and seven and a half inches in Winchester to five-inch spacings in both locations. By maintaining the same seed rate but narrowing the rows, the theory is that each plant has more room to grow a wider root structure, making it likely to have better standability. In every variety, site, and year, narrower row spacing increased yield by an average of 11 bushels per acre without increasing lodging. The yield increases varied from five to 17 bushels per acre, depending on the site and year. "When you consider that average oat yields in Ontario are about 80 bushels per acre, an 11-bushel increase is a huge benefit," says Nasielski. He was surprised by how significantly row spacing impacted yield and how consistent the results were. While most cereals in Ontario are planted in 7.5-inch rows to accommodate planting soybeans in 15-inch rows with the same seed drill, the research suggests that taking the time to reset the drill to narrow rows will increase net returns. Improving Ontario oats STRATEGIES FOR BETTER YIELD AND STANDABILITY Rebecca Hannam Research NARROWING ROWS TO IMPROVE ROOT STRENGTH AND INCREASE YIELD. LEFT: STANDARD = 7.5”; RIGHT: NARROW = 5”. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSH NASIELSKI.
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