Producing Quality Oat Hay

Chapter 5
Variety selection for
hay production
Choice of variety has a major influence on hay
quality. Disease resistance or susceptibility in
relation to the growing regions’ disease pressures
need to be considered when selecting a variety.
Other considerations are time of maturity, yield
and market objectives as these factors can also
impact on hay quality.
The following information provides a brief
summary of the characteristics of oat varieties
most suited to hay production and commercially
available in Australia at the time of publication.
It is based on varieties that have been tested as
part of the National Oat Breeding Program
funded by RIRDC and GRDC. Information
on each variety is available on release from the
respective breeding programs, licensee or seed
companies. A more comprehensive variety
guide is published annually on the SARDI
website www.sardi.sa.gov.au (search in
publications for Oats – sowing guide).
Oat varieties that have been bred for grazing
or grain production may also be made into
hay; these include varieties such as Bulban,
Coolabah, some of the Graza varieties
and Volta.
PRODUCING QUALITY OAT HAY
Quality and yield sit on either end of the see-saw.
In terms of variety selection, if a balance
between these characteristics is to be achieved,
then variety maturity in relation to rainfall needs
to be considered. Generally, early maturing
varieties are more suited to hay production in
low rainfall areas, while late maturing varieties
perform well in higher rainfall areas with a longer
growing season, (Table 5.2). However, late
season varieties generally have poorer early vigour
and competition with weeds such as ryegrass is
reduced. If sown late they can suffer yield loss
from an early spring cut-off and they generally
mature later than key grass weeds, allowing
ryegrass, wild oats, barley and brome grasses to
set seed. In favourable seasons late maturing
varieties can produce higher yields and better feed
test results than early and mid season varieties.
Bass A
Bass was released by the Tasmanian Department
of Agriculture in 1998 as a grazing variety. It has
also been used to produce hay in high rainfall
regions. Bass is a very late maturing with poor
early vigour. It was released as a replacement
for Esk.
Image 5.1 Oat variety trials are run across the western and southern region of Australia by the National Oat Breeding Program.
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