Yield Response and Test Weight Stability of Oat to Fertilizer Nitrogen - Project Overview

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Project identification and planning document outlining objectives and rationale for evaluating how oat yield and test weight respond to fertilizer nitrogen. Covers project scope across multiple Saskatchewan locations (Indian Head, Yorkton, Melfort, Redvers) from May 2016 to Feb 2017, including contact and experiment start/end details. Describes experimental design (RCBD with nitrogen rate and cultivar factors), treatment levels (40–120 kg N/ha), data collection variables (soil tests, density, lodging, grain yield, test weight), and key findings on interactions between cultivar and nitrogen rate across years.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Project Identification

Objectives and Rationale

Methodology

Experimental Design and Treatments

Data Collection

Results

Project Identification 1. Project Title: Yield Response and test weight stability of Oat to Fertilizer N 2. Project Number: 201504418 3. Producer Group Sponsoring the Project: Prairie Oat Growers Association 4. Project Location(s): 􀁸 Indian Head, Yorkton, Melfort, and Redvers 5. Project start and end dates (month & year): May 2016 to Feb 2017 6. Project contact person & contact details: Bill May, Project Manager, P.O. Box 760 Indian Head, SK, S0G 2K0 Phone: [306-665-5225 Email: william.may@agr.gc.ca](306-665-5225 Email: william.may@agr.gc.ca) Objectives and Rationale 7. Project objectives: Objectives: 1) to validate under local conditions, recent research results showing that oat requires moderate amounts of N and that test weight declines as N rate is increased. 2) to expose growers to new oat cultivars that may be better than cultivars currently grown in the area of the trial. 3) to determine if the test weight of current oat cultivars vary in the stability of their test weight as the nitrogen rate is increased. 8. Project Rationale: Oat growers are looking for ways to increase their yield and maintain the quality of the oats they grow. Many are using high N rates with varying degrees of success. Research indicates that some cultivars have a more stable test weight than other cultivars as the nitrogen fertilizer fate is increased. In addition new cultivars are available that growers have not had a chance to see evaluated in their own area. This demonstration will help producers choose the appropriate nitrogen rate and cultivar when growing oats. Methodology and Results 9. Methodology: Experimental Design: 2 factors, N rate and cultivar in a RCBD design. Plot Size: 35 x 13 feet Reps: 3 Treatment Factors 1) Cultivars Four cultivars (cultivars picked for each location based on two popular and two new cultivars with potential) Four cultivars (cultivars picked for each location based on two popular and two new cultivars with potential) Indian Head Melfort Redvers Yorkton Stride Stride Stride Stride CDC Ruffian CDC Minstrel Justice CDC Dancer CS Camden AC Morgan Souris Summit CDC Big Brown CDC Seabiscuit CDC Morrison Triactor 2) Nitrogen Rate (kg N ha-1) I) 40 II) 60 III) 80 IV) 120 Data Collection 1. Soil test: 0-6 inches, 6-24 inches, N bulked across reps, P, K, and S bulked across the test 2. Plant density 3. Lodging,(1-10, 1= upright and10=flat) 4. grain yield 5. test weight 6. thin kernels 10. Results The experiment was successfully carried out at all four locations Indian Head, Yorkton, Redvers and Melfort in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The only exception was at Redvers in 2014 when seeding could not be completed due to excessive soil moisture and rain. In 2014 there was no interaction among the cultivars for their response to nitrogen fertilizer at all three locations; which means that cultivars all responded in a similar manor to the application of nitrogen fertilizer. In 2015 and 2016 there were significant interactions between the cultivars and their response to N fertilizer. Plant density differed among the cultivars tested at 9 out of 11 site-years. As the nitrogen rate increased, plant density decreased at only Yorkton in 2015 and 2016 (Tables 4 and 8 ) . In fact at Yorkton in 2015, the cultivars differed in the effect N rate had on their plant density (Table A4, Appendix 1) . The plant density of all the cultivars tended to decrease as the N fertilizer rate increased but they varied in the levels that were statistically different. In 2014, as the amount of applied N increased lodging increased, especially at Indian Head (Tables 1-3) . At Yorkton and Melfort, the lodging increased when the N rate increased from 80 to 120; however, at Indian Head there was an increase in lodging each time the N rate increased. In 2015 lodging increased as the N rate increase at Melfort and Redvers (Tables 5 and 7) . Again the increase in lodging at Mel

FAQs

What was the main goal of the project?

Validate how oat requires moderate nitrogen and how test weight declines as nitrogen rate increases. Also evaluate cultivar differences in test weight stability as nitrogen rate increases and expose growers to new oat cultivars.

How was the experiment structured?

The study used an RCBD design with two factors: nitrogen rate and cultivar. Treatments included four nitrogen levels (40, 60, 80, 120 kg N/ha) and multiple oat cultivars selected for each location.

What data were collected during the trial?

Soil tests (by depth and bulked across reps), plant density, lodging (1–10 scale), grain yield, test weight, and thin kernels were recorded to analyze performance across site-years.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang