Forage productivity of oat as influenced by silicon and cutting management

Abstract

An agronomic investigation was carried out on oat cv.RO-19 (Phule harita) at Agronomy farm, Dr. PDKV, Akola during Rabi season of 2016-17 to study the growth and productivity dynamics of fodder oat as influenced by silicon and cutting management. Silicon levels, application of silicon @ 400 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higher growth attributes viz. plant height, no. of tillers, leaf: stem ratio, dry matter accumulation plant-1 and yield attributes viz. Green forage yield, seed yield and straw yield. Gross Monetary Returns, Net Monetary Returns and Benefit: Cost ratio. Among the cutting management, no cut treatment recorded highest plant height, and dry matter accumulation plant-1, seed yield and straw yield, while cut at 55 DAS produced significantly higher number of tillers at harvest, green forage yield, Gross Monetary Returns, Net Monetary Returns and Benefit: Cost ratio.