Yield and mineral concentrations of southeastern United States oat cultivars used for forage

• Published in: Journal of plant nutrition Vol. 34; no. 12; pp. 1828 - 1842
• Main Authors: Mackowiak, C.L, Myer, R.O, Blount, A.R, Foster, J.L, Barnett, R.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, NJ Dekker 01.09.2011; Taylor & Francis Group; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal productions; Avena sativa; Biological and medical sciences; calcium; Cattle; coastal plain soils; cool-season forage; copper; Cultivars; Economic plant physiology; forage; forage yield; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Grasses; grazing; hay; iron; magnesium; manganese; Metabolism; Metabolism. Physicochemical requirements; mineral; nutrient; nutrient requirements; nutrient uptake; nutrients; Nutrition. Photosynthesis. Respiration. Metabolism; oat; Oats; phosphorus; Plant physiology and development; potassium; sulfur; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; zinc; United States; North America; America; Avena sativa; Monocotyledones; Inorganic analysis; Herbivorous; Ruminant animal; Minerals; Southeast; Cereal crop; Gramineae; Plant nutrition; Angiospermae; mineral; Season; Ungulata; oat; Bovine; cool-season forage; cattle; Mineral matter; South Eastern States (USA); Vertebrata; Mammalia; Nutrient; Spermatophyta; Artiodactyla; Cultivar
• ISSN: 0190-4167; 1532-4087; 1532-4087
• DOI: 10.1080/01904167.2011.600410

A shift in oat (Avena sativa L.) production from grain to forage (hay and grazing) is occurring in the southeastern USA. However, most available cultivars were developed for improved grain production, rather than forage yield. We field tested several standard and new oat releases over 2 years, using repeated clippings to determine forage yield, nutrient uptake, and the potential to match plant nutrients with cattle mineral dietary needs. There were no differences in total annual forage yield among the tested cultivars within years but there was a difference between years. Forage tissue phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) were sufficient, potassium (K), sulfur (S), and manganese (Mn) were excessive, and iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) were occasionally or frequently deficient to meet daily cattle dietary mineral needs. Sulfur, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn may be the most challenging to regulate in U.S. Coastal Plain soils at concentrations that satisfy both, oat and cattle nutritional requirements.