1996 CROP SEASON EXTENSION DEMONSTRATION AND RESEARCH REPORT ALASKA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS FAIRBANKS, AK

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1 1996 CROP SEASON EXTENSION DEMONSTRATION AND RESEARCH REPORT ALASKA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS FAIRBANKS, AK Ken Krieg Editor February 1997

2 AUTHORS OF 1996 CROP SEASON DEMONSTRATION AND RESEARCH REPORT Janice Chumley, Kenai Peninsula Mater Gardener, Kenai, AK * Ray Gavlak, Agronomy Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Palmer, AK Robert Gorman, Resource Development Agent, University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Cooperative Extension, Sitka, AK Thomas Jahns, Land Resources District Agent, University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Cooperative Extension, Soldotna, AK Toos Omtzigt, IPM Technician, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK Don Quarberg, Agriculture Agent, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Delta Junction, AK Julie Riley, Horticulture Agent, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Anchorage, AK Fred Sorensen, Resource and Youth Agent, University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Cooperative Extension, Kodiak, AK For additional copies of this report, write or call your local or: Cooperative Extension Distribution Center University of Alaska Fairbanks P.O. Box Fairbanks, Alaska Phone: (907) in

3 1996 OAT FORAGE DEMONSTRATION TRIALS DELTA JUNCTION, ALASKA by Don Quarberg, Agricultural Agent COOPERATORS: Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Fairbanks, Alaska Weaver Seed of Oregon, Shedd, Oregon LOCATION: FUNDING SOURCES: OBJECTIVE: METHODS; RESULTS: Mile 1407 Alaska Highway, Delta Junction, Alaska To evaluate the forage production potential of oat varieties. The trial plot area had produced a barley crop in 1995 and the straw had been removed. On 5/15/96 the site was prepared by double rototilling to a depth of 5 inches with a 5-hp rear-tine tiller, The soil type was Volkmar silt loam. No soil analyses were conducted. Fertilizer was broadcast and incorporated prior to seeding. The application rates were 120, 60, 50, 25 Ibs/a respectively, of actual nitrogen (N), phosphate (PgOg), potash (K2O) and sulfur (S). All oat varieties were seeded on 5/16/96 in four 20 foot rows with a Gardenway Seeder at approximately 120 Ibs/a. Seeding depth was.75 inches with individual row spacings of 10 inches. All oat varieties except Athabasca are proprietary varieties of Weaver Seed. Weeds were manually controlled and no herbicides were used. Harvest was made on 8/22/96 when Athabasca oats were in the dough stage of maturity. A sample 24 inches long was cut from the center two rows of each plot and that sample was dried, weighed and analyzed for nutrient content by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station laboratory in Palmer, Alaska. Yields were calculated from these sample weights. This demonstration was not replicated. No statistical analysis was conducted, therefore these results are considered observational rather than statistical. Weather data for the 1996 growing season is given in Table 1. During June 2.64 inches of rain fell, while July was dry with only 1.32 inches of precipitation (6/30-7/28). In August (7/28-9/1) 2.26 inches of additional precipitation were received. Heat units as measured in degree days (40T base) were low for both June (409) and August (408). July was warmer with 517 degree days of accumulation. There was another factor that may have influenced the overall production of the oat forage crop. The local snowfall for the winter of was below normal (NRCS). This lack of snow insulation resulted in very deep soil frost levels that cooled the soil for an extended period in the spring as it thawed (personal observation). This delayed oat emergence until the first week of June. Table 1,1996 Cumulative Weather Data* for Sawmill Creek, Alaska (Brown, D. 1996) Degree Days Precipitation Time Period Ending (40"F base) (inches) 6/1/96 6/30/96 7/28/96 9/1/ *Since 4/29/96 - This is a new weather observation site located 7 air-miles northeast of the plot; no historical weather data is available.

4 Table 2. Yield and Quality of Oat Forages Harvested on 8/22/96 Variety (Ib/a) Yield1 Protein (%)2 Crude Fiber (%) Quality (100% dry Matter Basis) Acid Detergent Metabolizable Energy (%) (Mcal/lb) Athabasca B-1 B-2 B-3 B-4 Byrd DU-1 Dusky Magnum Magnum I) Magnum 2000 Mag-N SL , , , ,0 155, ,8 10, ,0 8, ,6 11, , , ,2 34,3 27, , , , , ,10 1, , Average Bromegrass , Calculated at 85% dry matter and reduced to 70% of sampled yield to approximate field harvest losses. 2 Compared to Athabasca, a common multipurpose oat grown in Delta Junction, Alaska, 3 The most common perennial forage produced locally offered for comparison (Quarberg and Comeau, 1992). 4 Average yield for established stands of grass hay in Tanana Valley for (Brown, 6/96) DISCUSSION: As seen in Table 2 only three oat varieties yielded less forage than Athabasca while nine varieties produced more. The highest yielding variety was Dusky which produced nearly 2,65 T/A of forage or 55.6% more forage than Athabasca, Yields of all oat hay crops ranged from just over 1.30 to 2,65 T/A, All oat varieties out yielded average bromegrass. When harvested for hay in late August such as this, it is very difficult to air-dry the forage to a moisture content suitable for hay production, Late harvests (beyond mid-august) might better be considered for high-moisture forages (haylage, silage). The higher yielding varieties B-2, B-3, Dusky, Mag-N and SL-1 all grew taller than Athabasca, Oats harvested as a forage in the heading to early milk stage of maturity are less prone to lodging than when harvested at later maturities. No serious lodging was observed in these trials. Crude Protein contents of the oat hay ranged from 8,7% (Byrd) to 14.3% (DU-1) as seen in Table 2, Athabasca yielded only 10,8% crude protein. Eight of the varieties had better protein values than did Athabasca while only three had less, four oat varieties yielded higher protein forage than average bromegrass, Athabasca had lower energy values than all but two of the oat varieties. All of these oat varieties produced higher energy hay than average bromegrass (Table 2), Table 2 also shows that Athabasca forage had the third highest fiber level at 33,5%, This oat is an early maturing variety and was more mature at harvest than most other varieties. Many of these oat varieties outperformed Athabasca in yield, protein and energy. Producers intending to plant oat forage crops might want to consider planting a higher yielding variety if they expect to harvest earlier in the season when hay curing conditions are more favorable. 10

5 REFERENCES: Brown, D, 1996 Alaska Crop-Weather, Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Palmer, Alaska, Brown, D Alaska Agricultural Statistics 1996, Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Palmer, Alaska, Quarberg, D, and Comeau, M, 1992, Summary of Alaskan Feed Analysis for ,, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 23 pages. 11