105
Oat Variety Screening in the Klamath Basin
R.L. Dovel and G. Chilcote l
INTRODUCTION
Oats have been a major crop in the Klamath Basin in the past. Although local oat
acreage has declined to about 5,000 acres in Klamath County, it remains an important
commodity in the area. Klamath Experiment Station has cooperated in the Uniform
Northwestern States Oat Nursery since the 1970's. Over the years several outstanding
varieties have been identified and adopted by the agricultural industry. Such varieties
include Cayuse, Appaloosa, Border, and Ogle. Most of these varieties are still in use
today; however, there are several experimental lines that appear to have still higher yield
potentials than the currently grown varieties. Several high yielding lines are also more
lodging resistant and have higher test weights than current industry standards. The
Uniform Norhwestem States Oat Nursery is planted at KES each year to identify
promising new oat lines for release by public and private breeding programs.
PROCEDURES
The Uniform Northwestern States Oat Nursery was established at KES on Fordney
fine sandy loam that is moderately deep and somewhat poorly drained. The previous
crop was potatoes. The crop was irrigated by a solid set sprinkler system.
The trial was arranged in a randomized complete block design with four
replications. Seed was planted on April 22 at a depth of 1 inch and a seeding rate of
100 lb/A. All plots were fertilized with 100 lb N, 60 lb P 205 , and 44 lb S/A at time of
seeding. Plots measured 5 x 20 feet with a row spacing of 6 inches. Bromoxynil and
MCPA were applied at labeled rates to control broadleaf weeds. Plots were harvested
using a plot combine with a 5-foot wide header. Grain yield was recorded for all plots.
Test weight was measured in only one replication.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Oat yields were substantially lower than in the previous two years, averaging only
3,858 lb/A (Table 1). Average test weight for the trial (38.7 lb/bu) was equivalent to
the average for the previous three years. The highest yielding variety in 1992 was
82Ab1178. It produced yields significantly higher than Cayuse, the standard variety in
the area.
1/ Assistant Professor and Research Technician, respectively, Klamath Experiment
Station, Klamath Falls, OR.
Acknowledgments: Henzel Farms provided the off-station site and crop care.
106
Border, a newer variety that is being planted on increasing acreages in the basin, was not
significantly lower in yield than 82Ab1178. Averaged over the three-year period from
1990 to 1992, 83Ab3250 was the highest yielding variety in the trial (Table 2). Six other
experimental lines produced yields equivalent to 83Ab3250. Ajay, Minimax, Ogle, and
Border were the highest yielding commercially available varieties in the trial. Border is
the most widely planted of these four leading commercial varieties in the Klamath Basin.
Three experimental lines, 83Ab3250, 83Ab3119, and 80Ab5807, had significantly higher
yields than Border over the last three years.
Lodging resistance and grain test weight are also important considerations in oat
variety selection. Of the seven top yielding entries, 86Ab1867 and 80Ab5807 had the
highest test weights in 1992. This trend was also seen in 1991 and 1990. Over the threeyear period they averaged 40.5 and 39.7 lb/bu, respectively, compared to a trial average
of 37.5 lb/bu. There was no lodging in the trial in 1992, however, lodging was present in
1991 and 1990, averaging 18 and 21 percent, respectively. Two high yielding varieties,
82Ab1178 and 83Ab3119, did not lodge in either year, and 86Ab1867 had no lodging in
1991 and only 5 percent lodging in 1990.
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Table 1. 1992 Northwestern Uniform Oat Nursery. Grain yield, test weight,
percent lodging, plant height, and heading date of spring oat
varieties planted at the Klamath Experiment Station, OR.
Entry
Selection
Yield
Test
weight
Lodge
Height
Heading
date
lb/A
lb/bu
%
inches
Julian days
1
2
3
4
5
Park
Cayuse
Otana
Appaloosa
Border
3262
2983
3054
3861
4222
38.0
38.0
41.0
36.0
38.0
0
0
0
0
0
51
46
52
49
47
183
178
181
183
182
6
7
8
9
10
Monida
Ogle
Calibre
81Ab5792
Riel
3290
3839
2352
3684
3586
35.0
37.0
38.0
38.0
40.0
0
0
0
0
0
50
39
54
45
53
184
174
184
178
181
11
12
13
14
15
80Ab5807
Valley
80Ab5322
82Ab248
82Ab1178
4442
4496
4633
4179
4978
39.5
41.0
34.5
35.0
37.0
0
0
0
0
0
46
45
37
43
40
182
180
183
182
178
16
17
18
19
20
Ajay
Robert
Trucker
Minimax
83Ab3119
4461
3275
2191
4475
4730
37.5
38.5
42.0
38.0
35.0
0
0
0
0
0
34
45
45
31
38
182
183
176
188
184
21
22
23
24
25
83Ab3250
86Ab664
86Ab1867
Newdak
ND 860416
4502
4840
4705
3985
3323
35.0
38.5
40.0
37.5
41.0
0
0
0
0
0
40
44
40
48
51
184
183
174
176
182
26
27
28
29
30
ND 852107
87Ab5125
84Ab825
88Ab3073
Derby
3045
4642
4599
4040
2417
39.5
37.5
36.0
47.0
40.0
0
0
0
0
0
51
40
40
40
56
178
183
183
184
183
31
32
83Ab3725
Pennuda
4063
3311
38.0
51.5
0
0
34
35
180
171
MEAN
CV (%)
LSD (0.05)
3858
15
792
38.7
0
0
0
44
9
6
181
1
2
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Table 2. Summary of Northwestern States Oat Nursery Yields, 1990-1992. Grain yields of
spring oat varieties planted at the Klamath Experiment Station, OR.
Entry
Selection
1992
1991
Yield
1990
Yield
3-yr Avg
2-yr Avg
Rank
lb/A lb/A
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
Park
Cayuse
Otana
Appaloosa
Border
3262
2983
3054
3861
4222
4466
4548
4052
4928
5255
3831
4049
3593
3530
4390
3864
3766
3553
4395
4739
22
24
26
18
17
3853
3860
3566
4106
4622
20
19
22
16
13
6
7
8
9
10
Monida
Ogle
Calibre
81Ab5792
Riel
3290
3839
2352
3684
3586
4337
5841
3286
6119
4660
3779
4267
3836
5063
3555
3814
4840
2819
4902
4123
23
13
29
11
20
3802
4649
3158
4955
3934
21
11
25
7
18
11
12
13
14
15
80Ab5807
Valley
80Ab5322
82Ab248
82Ab1178
4442
4496
4633
4179
4978
6464
5661
5980
5352
5856
4865
3428
4423
3801
4105
5453
5079
5307
4766
5417
2
9
5
14
3
5257
4528
5012
4444
4980
3
14
5
15
6
16
17
18
19
20
Ajay
Robert
Trucker
Minimax
83Ab3119
4461
3275
2191
4475
4730
5798
5264
4236
5018
5861
3978
3589
3414
4479
5429
5130
4270
3214
4747
5296
8
19
28
16
6
4746
4043
3280
4657
5340
9
17
24
10
2
21
22
23
24
25
83Ab3250
86Ab664
86Ab1867
83Ab3725
Pennuda
4502
4840
4705
4063
3311
6750
5946
5242
5660
3509
5242
3134
5330
4897
3228
5626
5393
4974
4862
3410
1
4
10
12
27
5498
4640
5092
4873
3349
1
12
4
8
23
26
27
28
29
30
Newdak
ND 860416
ND 852107
87Ab5125
84Ab825
3985
3323
3045
4642
4599
5535
4729
4113
5779
4760
4026
3579
5211
15
21
25
7
31
32
88Ab3073
Derby
4040
2417
Mean
CV (%)
LSD (0.05)
3858
22
1309
5181
12
702
4129
15
792
4529
13
581
4410
16
561