When is the latest planting time for oats?

Oats are a grain-and-forage dual-purpose crop with high nutritional value, divided into two types: hulled (i.e. covered oats) and naked oats. Not only is their protein content higher than that of other cereal crops, but they are also an irreplaceable excellent forage in arid and semi-arid regions. Their feeding value is also higher than that of other crops, giving them extremely high cultivation value. Let us take a look below at the planting time for oats!

Planting time for oats

The planting time for oats varies by region. In China, North China, the Northwest and the Northeast are spring-sowing regions, with a growth period of 80-115 days. The Southwest is a winter-sowing region, with a growth period of 230-245 days. Oats need a fair amount of water, and China's main production areas are dryland farming regions, so it is extremely important to store water and preserve soil moisture through early autumn plowing, harrowing, leveling and rolling.

Growing environment for oats

1. Temperature: Oats like cool conditions but are not cold-tolerant; the northern temperate zone is most suitable for growing them. The seeds can germinate at 2-4°C, and the seedlings can endure low temperatures of -2 to -4°C, making oats the most cold-tolerant of the cereal crops. In northern and northwestern China, where winters are cold, they can only be sown in spring; in more southerly areas they can be sown in autumn, but they must mature before the summer heat arrives.

2. Water: Oats grow in cold, high-altitude desert regions, but when the seeds germinate they need about 65% of their own weight in water. Their transpiration coefficient is higher than that of barley and wheat, and they consume relatively more water. If water is insufficient during the growing period, the grains often fail to fill out and yields decrease. Therefore, the roots and stems of oats often reach about one meter long so they can absorb more water.

3. Soil: Under good cultivation conditions, oats can achieve good harvests on soils of various textures, but moist soil rich in humus is best. Their adaptability to acidic soil is stronger than that of other cereal crops, but they are not suitable for cultivation in saline-alkali soil.

Sowing methods for oats

1. Seed treatment: Before sowing oats, choose a clear, windless day. Spread the seeds in a thin layer 2-3 cm thick and sun them for 3-5 days. Sunning the seeds can promote early germination, increase the germination rate and bring about earlier emergence, and the ultraviolet light in sunlight kills pathogens on the seed coat, which can reduce disease. Treat the seeds with 0.2% of the seed amount of carboxin-thiram or carbendazim to prevent oat loose smut, rust and other diseases. In areas with severe underground pests, phoxim or carbofuran can also be used for seed treatment.

2. Sowing time: Sow as soon as the soil thaws about 10 cm in early spring. The suitable sowing period for oats is March 25 to April 15, with the best sowing time around Qingming, and no later than Guyu. According to precipitation conditions, sowing in time to catch soil moisture is especially critical; securing a full stand of seedlings is a major measure for high yields of dryland oats.

3. Sowing method: Oats are best sown mechanically or in furrows opened by hand, not broadcast. For drilling, the row spacing is 15-20 cm and the depth should be 3-5 cm. Prevent double sowing and missed sowing; the sowing depth must be uniform and the seeding even. After sowing, level the soil so that the soil and seeds are in close contact, preventing air leakage that can cause the sprouts to fail. The sowing rate is 10-15 kg per mu; for grain harvest it can be reduced as appropriate.

Field management for oats

1. Reasonable loosening of the soil: If rain or snow occurs before the oats emerge, harrow lightly in time to break up surface crusting.

2. Timely weeding: Weed 2-3 times throughout the growth period. At the three-leaf stage, cultivate and loosen the soil to weed; weed early and shallowly to raise soil temperature, reduce water evaporation and promote early and rapid rooting so as to preserve a full stand of seedlings. Weed twice before jointing, and remove weeds promptly in the middle and late stages. If the planting area is small, manual weeding can be used. If the planting area is large, chemical herbicides can be used: at the three-leaf stage, use 60 ml per mu of 72% butyl ester emulsifiable concentrate, or 1-2 g per mu of 75% tribenuron-methyl dry suspension, sprayed evenly on a sunny, windless day with no dew.

3. Fertilization management: At the tillering and jointing stage, apply 25 kg of ammonium sulfate per mu as a topdressing together with irrigation; in dryland, apply fertilizer after rain. During the flowering and grain-filling stage of oats, a 0.2-0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution can be mixed with a 20% urea solution for foliar topdressing, spraying 70 kg of solution per mu, then spraying once more after 7 days to promote grain filling; apply foliar fertilizer at the right time to increase grain weight.

4. Timely irrigation: Where irrigation conditions are available, if spring drought occurs, irrigate once from the three-leaf stage to the tillering stage of oats, and irrigate once during the grain-filling stage.

5. Pest and disease control: Common pests and diseases of oats include covered smut, rust, red leaf disease, wireworms, white grubs, mole crickets, aphids, armyworms, grasshoppers and so on. Pest and disease control adheres to the plant protection policy of “prevention first, integrated control”. Based on the basic principles of integrated pest management, it mainly uses disease-resistant (tolerant) varieties, focuses on cultivation-based control, and combines physical and chemical control in an integrated approach.