BULLETIN 929 APRIL I959 ther uses TEXAS AGEICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION o n I cwlc nrocrw-nn, (‘nl I FGF §TATION. TEXAS Summary Oats are one of the most widely grown crops in Texas. Although they are important as a cash crop only in the concentrated production areas of Central Texas, their indirect contribu- tion to farm income as winter pasture, green-chop feeding. hay or silage often equals their value for grain. .. I? . I a The oats acreage is widely distributed in Texas. The type and varieties grown in an area are determined by winter temperatures. disease resistance and uses made of the crop. Most of the oats are faH sown although in seasons of favorable spring rainfall or when winterkilling occurs, larger acreages are spring sown. The acreage of oats has expanded in recent years because of increased use of the crop as (a source of) winter pasture and for other forage uses. The crop responds well in in- creased forage yields to applications of fertilizer. A new use of oats for forage is green-chop feeding of livestock. The crop also may be used for silage and hay and is a high yielding green-manure crop. Winterkilling is a maior hazard of production but the recent development of adapted har- dy varieties such as Mustang and Bronco have increased the dependability of fall-sown oats in the northwestern part of the State. Diseases are important factors in production of oats for both grain and forage in Texas. The maior diseases are crown rust, stem rust, Helminthosporium blights and smut. These and other diseases are described and control measures are suggested. The major insects attacking oats are greenbugs (aphid), spider mites and army or cut- worms. Insecticides are now available for control of these insects. Breeding (work) to de- velop oat varieties resistant to greenbugs is in progress. Improvement work on oats is in progress. Objectives include improvement of disease resistance, insect resistance, the development of better grain and forage producing varieties for the many producing areas and the development of short, strong-strawed varieties for high fertility conditions. RECOMMENDED A.ND ACCEPTABLE OAT VARIETIES BY AREAS Fall seeding Spring seeding Recommended Acceptable Recommended Acceptable Area 1 Mustang Alamo Mustang Bronco New Nortex Wintok y Cimarron Area 2 Mustang New Nortex Alamo Mustang Bronco y New Nortex Area 3 New Nortex Alamo Mustang Mustang New Nortex Bronco Area 4 New Nortex Mustang Not recommended Alamo Bronco Area 5 Alamo Not recommended Area 6 New Nortex Alamo Mustang Mustang New Nortex Bronco Area 7 Mustang New Nortex Not recommended Bronco £1 S, ONE OF THE CROPS MOST WIDELY GROWN in 1.: are used extensively for grain, winter pas- ; hay, silage and other purposes. While oats ~* major cash crop only in the more concen- 1.. areas of production such as North Central , their indirect contribution to farm income ,gh their many uses for forage often equals ‘iceeds their value for grain. During 1947- Qe seeded acreage; of oats averaged 1,740,000 p, the harvested area was 1,172,000 acres and erage production was 25,473,000 bushels. _ e official estimates include only part of the j-acreage devoted to forage and other special “ses. The use of oats for all purposes has ly expanded in recent years, as shown by ‘fficial estimate for 1957, 2,670,000 acres. f icial estimates made by county agents in .. and 1957 indicate that the acreage for for- urposes problably exceeds 1,000,000 acres ear; so the acreage devoted to oats probably >0 3,000,000 acres in recent years. Figure Ws the distribution of oats for grain in Tex- i 1954. Figure 2 shows the unofficial esti- i acreage devoted to oats seeded for forage ses in Texas in 1957. Adaptation A _= ts are grown under a wide range of soil and tic conditions in Texas. Because of this and g Wide range of usefulness, many varieties * es are needed and can be grown. Along , ulf Coast, spring-type or other varieties (low cold tolerance can be fall sown for live- Y pasture. Farther north, in North Central =1 varieties which can withstand wide fluc- ns in winter temperatures are needed. Win- 3 ing of oats occurs about 1 year in 4 in this gand may range from minor leaf injury to ete destruction of the crop on thousands of An extreme example of such wide temper- fluctuations occurred at Denton, Texas, in ary 1943, when the temperature dropped c 83° F. to 5° F. within a period of 48 . The survival of oats from fall seeding in ‘zigh Plains area where temperatures are ‘uniformly low usually reflects true cold re- ce. Only the most cold-resistant varieties _urviv'e in that ,;area. tively, agronomist in charge of small grain re- f , Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Division. Agricultural Research Service, Department of Agriculture, College Station, Texas; omist-, Substation No. 6, Denton, Texas; and agron- Southwestern Great Plains Field Station, Bush- " Texas. Oats for Grain, Winter Pasture and Other Uses I. M. ATKINS, J. H. GARDENHIRE and K. B. PORTER* The wide range in climatic conditions may be observed in Table 1. For example, oats may be spring sown at Stratford in Northwest Texas, where the average rainfall for the growing sea- son is 9.9 inches, the mean annual temperature is 55.4° F. and the frost-free period is 177 days; or, by contrast, they may be fall sown at Beau- mont, where the average rainfall for the growing season is 39.4 inches, the mean annual tempera- tiure is 68.6° F. and the frost-free period is 271 ays. Because of the wide diversity of climate un- der which the crops are grown and the tests con- ducted, the State is divided into seven areas, Fig- ure 3. Performance trials are conducted in the different growing areas within the State. Recom- CONTENTS Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Place in the Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Seedbed Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Rate and Date of Seeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Harvesting and Threshing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fertilizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Winterkilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Winter Hardy Varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Red Rustproot Strains and Derivatives. . 9 Fulghum Derivatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Spring-type Varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . 11 Performance Trials of Fall-sown Oats . . .11 Area 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Area 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Area 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Area 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Area 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Area 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Area 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Nursery Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Performance Trials of Spring-sown Oats. .15 Diseases of Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Covered and Loose Smuts . . . . . . . . . . .16 Crown Rust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Stem Rust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Helminthosporium Blights . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Weeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Improvement of Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 sure ront- 1.403.682 Acne-s l OOTEQUALS 95.000 ACRE$ Figure 1. Distribution oi oats grown for grain or grain and forage in Texas in 1954. mendations of varieties and methods of culture also are given by areas. Uses Almost all oat grain produced in Texas is uti- lized as feed for livestock within the State. The vast areas devoted to ranching provide a good market for surplus grain produced in other areas. Oats have long been known as one of the best balanced and desirable feeds for young live- stock and breeding herds. Large quantities are used as scratch grain for poultry and still larger quantities go into commercial mixed feeds for all types of livestock. The high value of oats and other small grains " as winter pasture for livestock under the mild .5 i ONE DOT EQUALS—5.000 ACRES STATE TOTAL—944.ZI4 ACRES Figure 2. Distribution oi oats grown exclusively ior ior- age in Texas in 1957. 4 winter conditions in much of Texas has been, recognized only recently. This is evident the expansion of oat acreage from an aver 1,412,000 acres for 1936-47 to an estimat" tal of 2,670,000 acres in 1957. There a~ portunities for still further expansion of ages as better adapted varieties are deve Oats are a favorite crop for winter pastu l livestock of all kinds because§+they produce " culent high protein feed durihg the winter permanent pastures are dormant. 5 Recent studies of the value of oats and, small grains for forage purposes have bl ported in Texas Agricultural Experiment S Bulletin 893 “Pasture, Hay and Silage Cro East Texas” and in progress reports from substations. These studies show that 4f 6,000 pounds of air-dry forage per acre l produced under normal rainfall conditions. seasons. Under irrigation and with ad fertilization, production can be raised to pounds per acre. Experimental tests, as well as experie growers, have shown that well regulated of oats may furnish an important source 1 enue without any reduction in grain yiel vided the livestock are removed before the elongation of tillers starts. Observatio have shown that properly grazed oats are by low temperatures less often than are lent, rank growing, ungrazed oats. Varieties differ considerably in their s, tion of forage and the time at which duce the maximum amount. They likewise, in response to temperatures; some produc tle forage during very cold weather while continue to grow during both cold an weather. Growers should select the v, adapted to their forage needs. The diff in growth habits of varieties are illustr Figure 4.1 Alamo, an erect-growing ty duces forage more quickly than Mustang fall but produces much less than Mustang the winter and spring at many locations. . Greenchop feeding is a recent develop the use of oats for forage. By this meth are allowed to develop sufficient growth with a field ensilage cutter. The chop‘ is hauled to feedlots for dairy or beef a, Only enough is cut each day to supply th of the livestock for that day. The harvesti ceeds across the field as needed and the haf portion is allowed to recover and make able growth before it is cut again. Of '0 lizer is added, or the field may be water is available, to stimulate regrowt ‘rieties vary in their recovery from such y ical clipping. The erect-growing types I damaged more than the prostrate-growin ties. t s Oats nearing maturity may be useda silage crop alone or 1n mixtures. Man lTaken from data published in TAES Bulletin I 6 to 8 tons of silage per acre when harves- y the soft dough stage. Some growers have ‘> it desirable to add dry ear corn, dry hay or i: to oat silage t0 improve the quality. The , harvested oat silage, may be especially ad- ygeous to dairymen because it provides suc- } feed during the summer drouth. ts alone, or in mixtures with sweetclover 7n legumes, make a valuable hay crop. The should be cut while the leaves and stems are flgreen and the grain is in the soft dough Hay made from oats at this stage is much r in feeding value and more palatable than =cut at more mature stages. Oat straw is palatable and nutritious than Wheat or bar- I raw. 7= may be turned under for green manure his use of the crop is increasing. There are i problems of management when oats are _ during the Winter and plowed down be- a summer crop such as cotton is planted, but r» problems are not insurmountable. Where ftion Water is available, oats will produce erable green material which decays rather ‘ y when plowed under. The many fine fib- iroots of the oats give good distribution of rganic matter in the soil and the total ton- ‘fqis equal or greater than that of vetch or r peas, which normally do not make much "h until warm weather. Oats also are val- » 1. uable as a companion crop for sweetclover and as a cover crop to reduce erosion‘ by wind or Wa- ter. A good stand of clover in a field of oats is shown in Figure 5. Culture The cultural operations for oats are similar to those required for other small grains. The best yields are obtained when Well-adapted va- rieties are sown on fertile, well-drained soil with proper seedbed preparation and with proper fer- tilization where this is practical. PLACE IN THE ROTATION In the principal grain growing areas of Cen- tral Texas, oats may follow nearly any crop al- though the most common sequence is for oats to follow cotton or corn. Cotton is an ideal crop to precede oats as the soil is usually firm, free of weeds and preparation for seeding oats is inex- pensive. Corn matures sufficiently early to al- low time for good seedbed preparation for fall- sown oats. Grain sorghum land is less desir- able for oats because the soil moisture is depleted and decay of the root and other crop residues is slow. The application of nitrogen to assist in the decay of such residues usually is desirable. The use of oats as a companion crop for sweetclover 1s a desirable combination in areas AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. RAINFALL. LENGTH OF GROWING SEASON AND SOIL TYPE AT TEST LOCATIONS‘ Rainfall. inches Temperature, degrees F. Average date 1. Num‘ Average Lenfflh L“ d Eltleva‘ be‘ G Aver‘ Aver- Aver- Aver- g,gw_ First Last _ ' 1°11‘ Years _1'°w‘ age age age age ing kill- kill- 5°11 tYl-"e feet An‘ m9 1949' an- maxi- mini- sew ing ing record nual sea; 56 nual mum mum Son frost frost son 3699 30 17.5 9.9 14.4 55.4 71.0 40.2 177 Oct. 16 Apr. 22 3100 45 21.3 16.7 19.7 57.0 70.7 42.1 185 Oct. 22 Apr. 20 3590 18 17.7 12.7 17.0 57.7 72.9 42.2 193 Oct. 27 Apr. 16 Pullman silty clay loam 3806 26 19.6 14.1 15.5 57.5 72.6 42.4 187 Oct. 22 Apr. 18 3250 30 21.3 12.6 15.8 59.8 73.7 45.7 206 Nov. 2 Apr. 10 2274 46 20.4 13.6 18.2 62.2 77.3 47.0 216 Nov. 4 Apr. 3 Abilene clay loam 1406 51 24.3 17.2 23.5 63.4 76.6 50.3 231 Nov. l0 Mar. 24 Abilene clay loam 978 31 29.0 28.5 65.0 78.2 51.9 221 Nov. 4 Apr. 1 Miller sandy loam 1759 71 22.6 19.4 18.9 64.1 76.1 52.1 241 Nov. 19 Mar. 23 1283 15 26.9 23.8 25.2 65.2 77.1 53.3 239 Nov. 13 Mar. 21 Denton clay 550 36 40.0 32.9 37.3 64.1 75.1 53.2 235 Nov. 11 Mar. 15 Hunt clay 621 44 32.0 24.6 27.2 65.7 77.3 54.2 233 Nov. 12 Mar. 22 San Saba clay 713 34 31.6 25.6 23.3 254 Nov. 24 Mar. 24 San Saba Clay 675 44 33.7 27.3 27.2 67.4 79.3 55.4 251 Nov. 24 Mar. 18 Houston Black clay 1412 71 30.5 26.5 25.6 64.5 78.2 50.7 216 Nov. 1 Mar. 30 314 505» 38.9 30.0 33.7 68.4 79.5 57.2 263 Nov. 25 Mar. 6 Lufkin fine sandy loam 518 60 31.6 27.9 24.6 68.5 79.1 57.8 268 Dec. 1 Mar. 4 Houston Black clay 251 42 40.5 25.1 32.8 68.0 90.0 45.0 275 Nov. 28 Feb, 18 Hockley tine sandy loam 225 53 29.4 22.9 16.7 70.7 82.5 61.2 291 Dec. 6 Feb. 20 Clareville clay 596 36 23.2 74.0 84.7 63.2 330 Dec. 20 Ian. 25 Willacy sandy loam 18 43 54.2 39.4 49.9 68.6 80.3 57.4 271 Nov. 25 Feb. 27 Beaumont clay A- were conducted in areas 6 and 7. ,-er1 to lune 1. KEY TO LOCATIONS ON MAP l. Stratiord 9. Abilene _ l7. College Station 2. Spearman l0. Stephemnlle l8. Lockhart 3. Bushland ll. Sherman 19. Prai ' View 4. Hereford l2. Greenville 20. Bee ' e 5. Floydada l3. Denton 2l. Winter Haven 6. Spur l4. McGregor 22. Beaumont 7. Cliillicothe l5. Temple 28. Mount Pleasant 8. Iowa Park l6. Comtort o Stotion tests- AOff- station tests Figure 3. Small grain growing areas and test locations in Texas. 3 and 4. In area 4 and farther south, these crops may both be fall sown, but in area 3» there is some danger 0f winterkilling of the sweetclover. Clov- ers may be sown with spring oats in January or February in area 3. Clover must be seeded in a separate operation as it requires shallower seed- ing than do oats. After the oats are harvested, the clover may produce hay, pasture or a seed crop. Oats are not grown extensively in area 1 ex- cept when spring moisture conditions are favor- able for seeding. Fall seeding is hazardous be- cause of low winter temperatures but, when oats do survive the winter, they usually produce bet- ter yields and quality of grain than do spring- sown oats. Oats should not follow oats or other small grains because volunteer grain and wild oats m“ MUSTANG - ALAMO MID-WINTER 50o _ EARLY WINTER EARLY seams IOOO —~ 500 — POUNDS AIR DRY FORAGE PER ACRE FIGURE _5. COMPARATIVE SEASONAL YIELDS OF DRY FORAGE PRODUCED BY ALAMO AND MUSTANG OATS AT COLLEGE STATION. TEXAS Figure 4. Comparative seasonal yields oi dry forage produced by Alamo and Mustang oats at College Station. Texas. ,6 not only cause undesirable mixtures, but t volunteer plants permit early establishment increase of diseases and insects which imm ately attack the seeded crop when it emerges. a SEEDBED PREPARATION Seedbeds for oats should be firm and level, permit uniform seeding. g-ihen oats follow ton, the stalks should besltredded and the l leveled with a disk harrow and a drag or sp tooth harrow. Corn or sorghum land usually plowed after shredding the stalks, but the r should be worked down immediately to cover a ‘ residues and hasten decay. An applicatiot nitrogen at this time will hasten decay of dues. a Because of the danger of soil blowing, beds intended for spring-sown oats in w? should be left rough through the winter to re moisture received as snow. Seedbeds for sown oats in this area should be prepared as =, fully as those for wheat. RATE AND DATE OF SEEDING Dates of seeding vary greatly in the State cause of the wide range in climatic conditions uses of oats. The dairyman or other lives producer may find it practical to seed at A earliest opportunity in the fall or, if he has i. gation water available, to irrigate and then the crop very early for grazing purposes. grain producer who does not pasture the should not seed early because the soil moist may be dissipated or the plants become so a that they may be easily injured by low tem atures. Very late fall seeding may result greater damage from low temperature, especi’ if the crop is not well established. Table 2 I suggested data and rates of seeding. A Rate of seeding is relatively unimportan fall-sown oats because the plants have sevi months in which to tiller and adjust to envi mental conditions. Rates for spring seeding‘ commonly higher than those for fall seeding. , der irrigation, where late seeding is necessa when maximum early forage is needed for g stock, rates should be increased. Contrary common opinion, thicker seeding is desirabl low fertility soil because the plants tiller Yields of forage when the oats were at four rates at Winter Haven and at Kirb are shown in Table 3.. Grain yields of thre rieties of oats seeded in January at five rat Denton, 1953-55 are shown in Table 4. i HARVESTING AND THRESHING Until fairly recently, the most common od of harvesting oats in Texas was wit a grain binder, followed by private or c ‘ threshing from the.shock. The oat stra stacks was of considerable value to the liv producer as a source of winter roughage small acreage still is handled in this mann 1 :1 2. SUGGESTED DATES AND RATES FOR SEEDING , OATS IN AREAS SHOWN Suggested Suggested seeding seeding date rates per acre. pounds Fall Spring ' Fall Spring Sept. l5 March 1 48 56 Oct. l Feb. 15 64 72 Oct. 15 Ian. 15 72 96 Oct. 15 Ian. 1 72 96 Nov. l 1 72 1 Oct. 15 1 72 1 Nov l 1 72 1 A recommended. t» The recent scarcity of farm labor, combined 'th the need for greatest economy in the har- ting operation, has forced growers to use some Qrm of combine harvesting. Direct combine har- of oats, even when the straw has broken wn, is common and, with modern equipment, yfairly satisfactory. The straw of oats is weak- than that of other small grains and many va- ties break over almost as soon as they mature. .e Red Rustproof strains are very weak straw- f, Whereas Alamo, Fultex, Victorgrain and sev- al others have much stronger straw. Under many conditions it is more desirable ‘place the crop in the windrow and thresh a days later with a combine equipped with a kup attachment. This method is especially de- able when the crop is excessively tall and is in fnger of severe lodging, when green weeds are fundant in the field or where moisture condi- are unfavorable for drying of the crop on 1_ standing grain. When harvesting with the combine, care p fould be taken that the grain is fully mature and s frltains not more than 13 percent moisture. 1 'gher moisture content may cause heating in rage with damage to germination and feeding lity. Insects increase much more rapidly in in of high moisture content. Farm and com- rcial grain drying equipment are rapidly be- ing available in the State for rice, grain sor- um and other crops. The grower should make rtain excessively high temperatures are not t u: a. EFFECT or SEEDING RATE on AIR-DRY FOR- IE PRODUCTION or" OATS AT WINTER HAVEN AND p KIRBYVILLE “on, period Average yield oi forage. pounds per acre U gate oi , Early Mid- Early 6.91119 winter winter spring Total Haven. 1952-53‘ 1.5 bushels 3110 2380 4050 9540 f, 2.0 bushels 3080 2790 3480 9330 1.2.5 bushels 3380.- . , 1140 2480 asoo 3.0 bushels 4400f‘ 2010 3880 10090 pbyville. 1953-542 F 1.5 bushels 1020 1440 2520 4980 2.0 bushels 1090 1510 2440 5140 Z 2.5 bushels 910 1830 2650 5190 _ 3.0 bushels 1090 1750 2520 5360 q ider irrigation. i thout irrigation. Figure 5. A good stand of sweetclover in oats growing at Denton. 1951. used for drying oats to be used for seed. Tem- peratures above 105° F. may seriously damage germination of the grain. Windrowing of oats is shown in Figure 6 while threshing of the grain from the windrow with a combine having a pick- up attachment is shown in Figure 7. FERTILIZERS Oats respond with increased grain and forage yields to the application of commercial fertilizers or barnyard manure. Excessive amounts of ni- trogen may increase lodging under some condi- tions. Fertilizer recommendations for Texas are available in Texas Agricultural Extension Serv- I ice Leaflets L-22O through L-228. WINTERKILLING The loss or reduction of stands and killing of top growth are important factors in oat produc- tion in Texas. Low temperatures make fall seed- ing of oats hazardous in area 1. Winterkilling occurs on an average of 1 year out of 4 in areas 2 and 3 and less often in area 4. The use of new winter-hardy varieties combined with better cul- tural practices has reduced this damage in recent years but cold injury continues as a potential threat. The fall-seeded crop that is well estab- lished and growing in fertile soil is less frequent- ly damaged by low temperatures than one poorly established. Adequate available phosphorus will aid in reducing Winterkilling, as shown in Figure 8 at Temple, 1948, where stands in the unferti- TABLE 4. COMPARATIVE AVERAGE YIELDS OF THREE VARIETIES OF SPRTNG-SOWN OATS AT FIVE RATES OF SEEDING AT DENTON. 1953-55 Rate of Average yield of grain. bushels per acre seedmg Alamo “New Nortex Mustang 2.0 49.1 33.5 43.8 2.5 50.1 34.6 45.1 3.0 48.0 33.4 42.2 3.5 47.5 33.4 41.4 4.0 47.6 34.6 42.2 Figure 6. Windrowing oats at the Denton station, 1952. lized portion 0f the field were reduced by 10w temperatures. Varieties vary greatly in cold tolerance. Spring-type varieties from the main oat growing sections of the Midwest have little cold resistance and should not be fall sown. The greatest cold resistance is found in such varieties as Wintok, Bronco, Mustang, Cimarron and Fulwin. A sec- ond group that in hardiness tests ranges from 15 to 20 percent less hardy includes the Red Rust- proof strains, Fultex, Victorgrain, DeSoto and Suregrain. A third still less hardy group used for fall seeding only in South Texas includes Alamo, Camellia, Alber, Ranger and Fulgrain. The cold resistance of Bronco and Mustang in comparison with New Nortex is shown in Figure 9. Bronco oats yielded 51.4 bushels per acre at Iowa Park in 1951 because of their cold resist- ance, while New Nortex averaged only 3 bushels. Varieties Several varieties and types of oats may be grown successfully in Texas because of the wide range in growing conditions. Until recently the Threshing oats from the windrow with a com- Figure 7. bine with pickup attachment. Denton, 1951. 8 Q Red Rustproof (Avena byzantina) type oats hav‘ dominated the acreage in Texas and the Sout ever since their introduction before 1850. Whil less hardy than some varieties and less resistan to some diseases than certain new varieties, the have wide adaptation for both fall and sprin seeding because of their tolerance to many ha g ards. Therefore, they have continued to fin favor with growers. oat selection in Texas was carried oniaft Substation No. 6 ~ Denton, Texas, and by the Ferguson Seed Farms i Howe, Texas, which is no longer in business. Thi firm distributed Ferguson 71 oats in 1916 an, Ferguson 922 in 1926. The Texas Agricultura, Experiment Station distributed Nortex oats .5 1926 and New Nortex in 1936. Brief descriptions of varieties grown in th State or available commercially are given in th' section. For convenience the varieties are grou? ed in part by hardiness classes and in part b parental relationships or morphological similari ties. WINTER HARDY VARIETIES During the past 1O years a number of varieties that possess considerably more winte hardiness than the Red Rustproof strains hav" become available. These extended northward t fall-sown oat growing area of the United Stat and reduced the hazards of winterkilling. T . of these varieties, Bronco and Mustang, were veloped in Texas and have made important i tributions to oat production in Texas and elsp where. - Mustla/ng (Lee-Victoria x Fulwin) was , tributed by the Texas Agricultural Experime Station in 1948. It has outstanding ability withstand wide fluctuations in temperature an‘ under Texas conditions, has been nearly as Wi ter hardy as Fulwin or Wintok (see Tables 5, _ and 7). Seedlings are prostrate with narro leaves when grown in Northwest Texas, but Wh the variety is grown for winter pasture in Sou Texas it responds to warmer temperatures a, is very desirable for this purpose. Mustang if tures 5 to 8 days earlier than New Nortex. has short straw of good strength, but the grasp may shatter under some conditions. The vari is resistant to some races of crown rust and erant to Helminthosporiumblight under ma, conditions. It is susceptible to stem rust. v seed are grey and fairly small but of good A weight. Mustang has excellent resistance drouth and has extended greatly the usefuln and increased the safety of growing oats in i, western part of the state. i‘ Bronco (Lee-Victoria x Fulwin) is a si selection of Mustang. It differs in being tal later maturing and the grain is light red. r variety has the capacity for very high yields der favorable conditions. Seedlings are pp trate and the leaves are narrow. Bronco ma. slow growth in the fall and winter and becai of this characteristic has not found favor as f l The variety was distributed by the Texas ultural Experiment Station in 1956 but has recommended recently also in Kentucky and 'nia. zdwin, Tennex and Forkedeer are winter varieties that were selected from a hardy, r-type strain of Fulghum. The Tennessee fcultural Experiment Station developed and (ibuted all three. Fulwin and Tennex are in on a small acreage in Texas. Fulwin is parent of Mustang and Bronco. All three ties are very susceptible to the rusts and f-fore poorly adapted in most parts of Texas. jntok (Hairy Oulberson and Winter Ful- m, C. I. 2498) is the most winter hardy oat ‘ety grown commercially in the United States. as distributed by the Oklahoma Agricultural griment Station in 1946. Seedling growth is trate with the leaves narrow and dark green. f, plants are of moderate height but the straw eak. The grain is grey, of moderate size and 00d test weight. The variety is very sus- I ible to the rusts and therefore adapted only in hwest Texas. Cimarron is an early maturing, cold resistant ‘ety recently distributed by the Oklahoma Ag- lllltural Experiment Station. The variety is " ially suited to both fall and spring seeding klahoma. It is very susceptible to the rusts adapted only in Northwest Texas. In addi- it sometimes develops a physiologic leaf fir- ; that destroys much tissue and may affect is. piArkwin (Tennessee 1922 x Bond-Iogold) was ibuted by the Arkansas Agricultural Experi- Station as a forage oat for Arkansas. It i inter hardy and an early forage producer. i variety is tall, has strong straw and the is light red. Arkwin has produced lower p,» of grain than many varieties and is not tmmended in Texas. A RUSTPROOF STRAINS AND IVATIVES FThe original Red Rustproof oats were brought his country from the Mediterranean region iEurope before 1850. They quickly spread the southern United States and were given ‘l names in many instances by growers, seeds- “or state agencies. Thus they became known . exas Red Rustproof, Appler Rustproof, Ban- g Rustproof, California Red Oats and such. t of the strains are similar, differing only in or characteristics. New Nortex is perhaps the most widely wn strain of Red Rustproof. A survey in .7 showed thattit is grown on 29 percent of ‘_ Texas acreage and is grown in several other hern states. New Nortex is a typical Red a proof. Seedling plants are prostrate grow- " and tiller abundantly. New Nortex has un- l ability to remain dormant during periods mouth in winter or early spring and then re- Oats fertilized at seeding time with phosphorus Figure 8. survived low temperatures when stands in the unfertilized portion of the field (left) were greatly reduced, Temple, 1948. spond rapidly when rains come. The variety 1s moderately winter hardy but may be winterkilled in areas 2 and 8 and is not sufficiently hardy for fall seeding in area 1. The plants are of med- ium height and the straw is rather weak. The _, panicles are medium large to large and the ker- nels are large, long and red. On a typical spike- let, both kernels usually have awns but there are many exceptions depending on environment. All the Red Rustproof strains grown in Texas are susceptible to leaf and stem rust but they seem to be rather tolerant because their yields usually are reduced less by rust than other varieties. All strains also are resistant or tolerant to attacks by most species of Helminthosporium and several other diseases. Several other strains of Red Rustproof are grown in Texas. Nortex, the original strain dis- tributed by the Denton station, is similar to New Nortex. Under some conditions it may be shorter and slightly earlier. Ferguson 922 is similar to New Nortex in all visible characteristics. Nor- tex 107 was introduced from Mississippi and also Mustang and Bronco oats survived with good stands at Iowa Park, Texas, in 1951 whereas New Nortex and most other varieties were winterkilled. Figure 9. 9 is similar to these strains. Ferguson 560 is a purified seed lot made from Ferguson 922 by the Arkansas Experiment Station to provide a sup- ply 0f pure seed 0f this older strain. Ranger (Nortex x Victoria) and Rustler, a sister strain, were distributed by the Texas Ag- ricultural Experiment Station in 1942 and for a few years were grown extensively in South Tex- as. Both are susceptible to Helminthosporium blight, stem rust and to race 216 of crown rust. Ranger and Rustler are fairly typical Red Rust- proof types in most respects but they are less winter hardy than New Nortex. The acreage of these varieties has declined recently. Alber was introduced from South America by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and later distributed in Louisiana. It is a selection from Red Algerian, a South African oat similar in many respects to Red Rustproof. Alber is taller and later maturing than Red Rustproof and has greater resistance and tolerance to many races of leaf rust. It is also resistant to Helminthos- porium blight. It lacks cold resistance so it is adapted only to South Texas. FULGHUM DERIVATIVES The original Fulghum oat was selected from Red Rustproof by a Georgia farmer before 1900. It differs from Red Rustproof in being about 2 weeks earlier in maturity and in having grain of higher test weight and with fewer awns. Many selections were made from the original variety and given names such as Early Red Rustproof, Cokers Fulghum, Nicholsons Extra Early and Kanota. A strain selected at the Denton station was distributed as Frazier oats. It was grown extensively for many years but is now grown on only a small acreage. Frazier and Fulghum were used extensively in oat crosses made in Tex- as and in other states. Frazier has been kept in all Texas yield trials as an historic type and a measure of progress. Field plots of oat varieties at Denton, 1953. Figure l0. Left to right, Frazier (Fulghum type), Alamo and New Nor- tex. Note strong erect straw of Alamo. 1U Fztltew was developed from the cross, Fuli ghum x Victoria. The variety is early maturing, has short, strong straw making it suitable fori combine harvesting and has plump, red kernels of high test weight. It is resistant to many races; of crown rust but is susceptible to race 216. Flll-ij tex is highly susceptible to Helminthosporium} blight. Alamo resulted from a Zscross involving five parents, (Fulghum-Victoria) x (Victoria-Hajira- Banner). It was distributed as a rust resistant oat for fall seeding in South Texas and for spring seeding throughout the northern and western parts of the State. Alamo has erect, broad-leav- ed seedling plants and is less winter hardy than g Red Rustproof. The variety is early maturing and produces abundant early grazing when sown for winter pasture, Figure 4. Because of this erect habit of growth, it may be damaged by grazing under some conditions. It has strong straw and will stand erect for combine harvest- s ing better than any variety available in the State. The grains are medium large and plump and the kernels have few or no awns. Alamo was resistant to all the prevalent races of crown and stem rusts until 1957. It is not resistant to race 216 of crown rust or to race 7A of stem rust. It is susceptible to Helminthosporium blight. Alamo is compared with Frazier and New Nortex in Figure 10. Victorgrain was distributed by the Coker’s Seed Company of Hartsville, South Carolina. Several strains of Victorgrain have been distrib- uted, the latest being strain 48-93. The original strains came from the cross Victoria x Fulgrain, but subsequent strains involved other parents as well. This is a semiwinter type oat with moder- ate hardiness. It was resistant to the race“, of crown rust prevalent in Texas before 1957 but is susceptible to race 216. It is also susceptible to stem rust and Helminthosporium blight. Seed- ling growth is moderately upright but the variety is well suited to use as a winter pasture crop. Plants are mid-tall with strong straw. The grain is light red with few or no awns and is of high test weight. Midsozath was selected from Victorgrain be- cause of its resistance to Helminthosporium blight. Plant characteristics are similar to Vic- torgrain 48-93 except for small differences in growth habit. It was recently distributed by the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station. Fulgrain, was developed by Coker’s Seed Com- 2s. pany from a cross of Fulghum Strain 4 x Vic- 5 toria. It is similar to Victorgrain in many re- spects but is much earlier maturing, less cold tolerant and is damaged by late spring freezes rather frequently. The grain is red, of high test i weight and the grain has few awns. It is grown 1 only in the Edwards Plateau area of South Texas a Delair and Taaggdrt were developed from a cross of Fulghum x Bond and distributed in Ar- kansas and Mississipi. They are semiwinter e strains which produce upright seedling growth and are lacking in winter hardiness. They vve strong straw and plump grain of high test ight. They are susceptible t0 leaf and stem sts but resistant t0 Helminthosporiurn blight. ‘ Suregrain, (Arlington-Delair) x Trispernia, i3 jnew variety released by Coker’s Seed Company ' .1958. While only remotely related to Ful- um, it is similar in many characteristics. Sure- ain has short, strong straw, plump red grain f. resistance to prevalent races of crown rust, eluding race 216. It is resistant to Helmin- osporium blight but susceptible to stem rust. ile it appears promising on the basis of pre- ». inary yield trials, it has not been adequately ted and therefore cannot yet be recommended. Moregrain, [(Arlington-Delair) x Trispernia] [(Bond-Fulghum) x Victorgrain], is another jw variety released by Coker’s Seed Company 1958. Under Texas conditions it is taller, but rlier than Suregrain, has resistance to preval- t races of crown rust and is resistant to Hel- "nthosoorium blight. It is susceptible to stem 5t. Preliminary yield trials indicate this va- may be valuable in South Texas, but it has t been adequately tested. Camellia (Bond x Alber) was developed in _ isiana and distributed in 1942. The variety 'duces vigorous, upright seedlings and is a orite for winter pasture along the Gulf Coast. ,oes not have sufficient cold resistance to grow other areas. Camellia is tall, has large strong with large panicles and large red-yellow ins with few awns. Camellia is resistant to A y races of crown rust but is susceptible to 1- 216 and to stem rust. It is resistant to Hel- thosporium blight. ING-TYPE VARIETIES The common white or yellow-seeded oats, f grown in the Corn Belt are not sufficiently resistant to be fall sown in most parts of f: s. Occasionally they are used in South Tex- or livestock pasture but, owing to their up- growth habit, they are damaged easily by tock or when cut for green-chop feeding. : from spring seeding at Amarillo and Den- ' a sativa, with a spring growth habit that ton (Tables 12 and 13) show that these varieties are less productive than Alamo evenwhen spring seeded so none is recommended in Texas. Performance Trials of Fall-sown Oats Intrastate yield trials of small grain are con- ducted at many locations in the State as part of the small grain improvement program. Because of the wide range in climatic conditions, the State is divided into seven testing areas as shown in Figure 3. Varieties and experimental strains are tested by groups for these several areas. Comparable yield and agronomic data are summarized by areas. All varieties were not grown at all stations in all seasons. In order to compare all varieties, a comparable figure was calculated for each variety based on a standard group of varieties that were grown at all stations in all years. By means of a correction factor sug- gested by Patterson? data on varieties grown for a shorter period were ‘adjusted so all varieties might be compared directly. More detailed data appear in Texas Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion Bulletin 899, “Performance of Small Grain Varieties in Texas, 1949-57.” AREA ‘l Usually only about 2 percent of the State l acreage of oats is grown in this area. Fall seeding is hazardous although the acreage of oats is increasing because of the ample seed supplies of such hardy varieties as Wintok, Mustang and Bronco and the use of irrigation water to provide moisture for germination at the proper time. Par- ticularly in the southern part of this area, the value of oats for fall and early winter grazing for livestock may make them profitable despite the risk of winterkilling. Tests conducted on land receiving supplemental irrigation at Ama- rillo and Floydada are summarized in Table 5. Mustang produced the highest comparable grain yield in this area. Frazier ranked second in spite of rather low winter survival some years QPatterson, R. E. A method of adjustment for calculat- ing comparable yields in variety tests. Agronomy Jour- nal 422509-511, 1950. COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DAT? SFOR FALL- SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 1. 1 4 -57 5. Number Test Date Date Plant Winter oi Avergge weld of weight, first full height. survival. gram’ bushels tests pounds head ripe inches percent l‘. 40.8 11 31.3 5-15 6-23 23.6 87 ~ 38.9 11 33.0 5-10 6-21 23.0 55 38.2 11 34.1 5-12 6-21 25.0 93 37.8 7 34.5 5-7 6-18 21.6 86 37.6 11 32.1 5-13 6-21 20.4 68 35.0 11 31.4 5-21 6 25 27.0 99 34.0 11 32.2 5-11. 6-21 23.8 53 32.2 3 32.8 5-16 6-21 26.8 58 30.6 11 32.1 5-15 6-22 28.6 92 29.7 5-17 6 23 24.7 59 10 32.4 Figure 11. Grazing oats to maturity, a common practice in the ranching areas of Texas. and Wintok ranked third. Bronco, Wintok, Ful- win, Mustang and Cimarron were the most hardy. The survival of Alamo, New Nortex and Frazier was much lower than the more hardy varieties and therefore these are not so well suited to fall seeding. Cimarron, Wintok and Frazier had higher test weights than the other varieties. Cimarron and Frazier were the earliest varieties and Bronco the latest. Fultex and Cimarron were the shortest varieties and Bronco the tallest. The varieties Mustang, Wintok, Cimarron or Bronco should be sown in this area if fall seeding is practiced. AREA 2 Oats are grown extensively in area 2, both as a cash crop and as a combination winter pasture and grain crop. Considerable acreages are used primarily for winter pasture and, unless condi- tions are very favorable for grain production in the spring, the crop is pastured to maturity at which time the livestock usually can be placed on permanent grass ranges. Cattle pasturing TABLE 6. COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 1949-57 ' f oats late in May as the crop matures are show in Figure 11. s A Yield trials were conducted under irrigation at Iowa Park and under natural rainfall condi- tions at Chillicothe, Spur and Abilene, although data from Abilene are limited. Severe drouth prevailed throughout this testing period, so yields? are probably below what may. be expected in this area. Irrigated and dryland yield tests are re- ported separately, but agronomic data are from all tests. Data on yields and agronomic data are! given in Table 6. Mustang, New Nortex and Bronco produced? the highest comparable yields in the irrigated} tests at Iowa Park. In dryland tests, Alamo ranked first in average yield as a result of its? high yield in 1957, a year when most other va- rieties were damaged by diseases. This varie ' is tender and may be winterkilled when fall sow p, in this area. Survival data, based on years t‘ which winterkilling occurred, show that Alam survived only 38 percent compared with 74 f0 Bronco. ‘ Wintok, Victorgrain, Alamo and Frazier pr duced grain averaging higher in test weight tha the Red Rustproof strains. Frazier and Cima ‘ ron are the earliest varieties and Bronco th latest. is Varieties recommended for fall seeding this area are Mustang and Bronco. The Rustproof strains also are satisfactory but ma I be winterkilled in some seasons. Y . AREA 3 Oats are grown extensively in area 3 both p, a cash crop and for winter pasture for livestoc More than one-third of the State acreage is gro in this area. When oats are pastured the liv stock usually are removed in late February so f crop will mature a crop of grain. The yield w, grain is not reduced when oats are grazed pro erly. Winterkilling is a major hazard in this_ar because winter temperatures fluctuate so Wldel W111i Yleld 0f Qmm- bushels Number Date Date Plant Estimate Variety Iowa Park Average weight, first full height. of forage surviv . 19495.71 _ ior urea tests pounds head ripe inches value’ perce‘_ Alamo 67.6 31.4 13 32.4 4-15 5-23 22.3 108 38 . Bronco 74.8 31.3 15 31.3 4-24 5-30 27.0 98 74 v Victorgrain 79.8 31.0 5 32.6 4-13 5-21 24.7 109 — Mustang 78.7 30.9 18 31.0 4-18 5-25 23.8 103 71 New Nortex 76.1 30.8 18 30.1 4-17 5-24 23.0 100 53 Fultex _ 67.6 28.1 18 31.7 4-15 5-21 20.6 100 44 j Fulwin 65.9 27.7 18 31.4 4-20 5-27 29.2 107 80 Ferguson 922 71.8 27.1 9 29.1 4-17 5-23 22.4 100 49 ‘r1 Nortex 107 82.2 26.7 5 28.9 4-19 5-27 20.3 104 51 Y Wintok 37.0 26.2 17 32.9 4-18 5-22 23.9 107 68 Cimarron 71.8 26.0 9 31.9 4-9 5-17 22.2 106 75 _i Frazier 63.1 23.5 18 32.4 4-9 5-19 24.9 112 43 ‘Irrigated tests not included in averages. 2Visua1 estimate oi forage value, New Nortex 100 percent. 12 COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA F OR FALL-SOWN OATS TESTED IN AREA 3, 1949-57 ;; Average yield Number Test Date Date Plant Winter -- ‘ety of grain, weight, first iull Cmwn stem height, survival, bushels tests pounds head ripe rust rust inches percent ~ang 58.3 23 30.3 4-17 5-23 4 8 25.6 96 f, x 107 56.6 9 29.5 4-23 5-27 12 7 27.4 82 /Nortex 55.3 23 29.5 4-23 5-27 9 11 27.3 81 rgrain 52.8 14 31.8 4-18 5-21 18 13 24.4 76 o 51.6 18 30.2 4-24 5-26 11 8 28.0 93 " on 922 51.0 15 29.1 4-24 5-28 8 7 27.0 73 ~- - 48.2 17 31.5 4-18 5-24 16 1 24.3 46 ' -» on 44.4 9 30.5 4-16 5-20 — 1 24.6 — 'n 43.7 23 29.2 4-22 5-23 71 9 29.4 100 ex 42.2 15 31.3 4-17 5-20 13 11 22.7 70 40.1 23 31.5 4-13 5-20 8 25.2 71 T" 37 iods of relatively Warm weather with daytime ‘peratures ranging from 70° to 80° F. may "ur at any time during the winter months. ese may be followed by drops of 5O to 60 de- ' s in just a few hours. While minimum tem- i tures seldom fall below 10° F. and the record ' temperature at Denton is —3° F., the rapid “nges make it difficult for oats to survive. h freezes may provide the opportunity for the nt breeder to select hardy strains for increase. p Yield trials were conducted at Denton, Green- '1 e and Stephenville in all years; so 33 compar- are available for varieties grown the full i 'od. Yield and agronomic data are given in 1e 7. Mustang, Nortex 107 and New Nortex rank ‘t, second and third, respectively, in average j‘ for area 3. Bronco and Alamo produced _ ewhat lower yields. The lower yield of Alamo gely is due to winter injury in certain seasons. stang and Bronco are the most winter hardy ‘u therefore the safest for fall seeding. New rtex and other Red Rustproof strains are 15 T20 percent less hardy and may be winterkilled vl-some seasons. Victorgrain, Alamo and Frazier produced in having the highest test weight and also re among the earliest in maturity. Bronco and C_ Red Rustproof strains are the latest matur- Fulwin and Bronco were the tallest varie- 1 a. ties and Fultex the shortest. Although no data on lodging are available, Alamo has consistently shown the best straw strength and adaptation to combine harvesting. Varieties recommended for area 3 are New Nortex, Mustang and Bronco. Fall seeding of Alamo is somewhat risky. Information on sev- eral additional commercial varieties is presented in the nursery section and in Table 10. AREA 4 Approximately one-third of the State oat acre- age is sown in area 4. Most of this acreage is sown as a combination grain and winter pasture crop. Considerable acreages are sown exclusive- ly for Winter pasture. Performance trials were conducted at Temple, McGregor and Comfort in this area. Yield and agronomic data are given in Table 8. New Nortex, Alamo, Bronco and Ferguson 922 rank first to fourth, respectively, in compar- able yields for this area. These, together with Mustang, also are the major commercial varie- ties in this area. Winterkilling is usually not a major hazard in this area although it does occur, and this is considered about the nothern limit for safe fall seeding of Alamo, Ranger, Alber or Camellia. Diseases are major hazards of production in area 4 and this may be partly responsible for the COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 4. 1949-57 _. Average yield Number Test Date Date Percent Plant Estimate m’ °.i.::::;;: ..:f.. .2223; £221. 5:5‘. Cm“ g3»;- 311333.’ "£2112?" ' Nortex 52.1 20 26.7 4-20 5-22 25 21 28.7 100 52.1 17 31.6 4-12 5-21 9 Tr 29.7 138 f_ 3115011 922 51.6 7 26.1 4-22 5-23 21 25 29.2 105 i nco 51.3 16 29.7 4-22 5-26 5 34 31.4 94 ellia ,51_.2 5 27.7 4-22 5-23 14 32 31.4 95 tang 150.5 20 29.4 4-16 5-19 6 21 29.3 102 4 ex 107 849.9 6 27.5 4-21 5-23 26 19 28.0 104 f orgrain 48.9 15 31.7 4-12 5-18 8 16 29.4 120 j- ger 48.5 20 28.7 4-19 5-22 6 34 29.5 98 I ain 48.3 13 32.5 4-9 5-13 6 16 26.8 134 8- er 47.6 19 27.4 4-15 5-23 9 32 31.7 123 ‘er 44.2 20 31.1 4-4 5-10 45 13 31.1 131 ~ '- ~ 33.3 16 25.7 4-21 5-21 53 21 33.2 94 a ual estimate oi iorage value, New Nortex 100 percent. 13 TABLE 9. COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 5. 1950-57 Aysgagie Number Test Date Date Perwnt > Plant Estimate Variety Y min oi weight first full Cr St height of forage bgtlsheis tests pounds head ripe rfign Iss1? inches value‘ Alamo 52.1 17 35.3 3 4-26 11 1 30.9 111 Mustang 49.4 11 31.9 4 5-3 12 22 .._v 31.6 99 Victorgrain 49.1 17 33.2 3 5-1 10 36 ._ 33.2 103 Fulgrain 49.3 15 35.5 3 4-20 6 28 i " 31.4 121 Alber 47.6 17 29.0 3 4-30 4 27 32.7 115 Ranger 45.5 9 30.7 4 5-3 5 29 32.7 100 Floriland 45.0 12 32.8 3 4-22 2 46 35.6 108 Bronco 44.6 17 29.2 4 5-4 19 22 32.2 87 New Nortex 44.0 17 29.5 4 5-4 25 27 30.1 96 Camellia 41.2 17 29.8 4 5-4 12 28 33.7 104 Seminole 39.8 17 31.8 3 4-19 11 34 33.5 109 Frazier 39.6 7 33.5 3 4-18 53 24 32.1 106 Fultex 38.2 9 33.5 3- 4-24 3 24 30.7 105 Sunland 37.5 7 32.1 3 4-22 9 31 34.1 108 Southland 37.4 6 31.9 3- 4-23 13 34 33.5 110 ‘Visual estimate ot forage value. Ranger 100 percent. high ranking of Alamo. This variety showed the greatest resistance t0 the rusts of the varieties included in these test. Value for winter grazing also is an important consideration in this area. Alamo, Fulgrain, Alber, Frazier and Victorgrain were superior to the New Nortex check while Bronco and Fulwin were valued below it. Ful- grain, Victorgrain and Alamo had the highest test weight grain and were among the earliest in maturity. Varieties recommended for fall seeding in this area are New Nortex and other Red Rustproof strains, Alamo and Mustang. AREA 5 Oats are grown in area 5 primarily for winter pasture with the production of grain a minor consideration except for the preservation of seed supplies. Diseases are major factors in the pro- duction of grain almost every year and of forage in many years. Where irrigation water is avail- . able or fall and winter moisture conditions are p favorable, as much as 7 months’ grazing may be j obtained from November to May. Experiments conducted on oats grown under irrigation show é that as much as 10,000 pounds of air-dry forage A per acre may be produced by oats during this period. Yield trials of both spring-type tender varie- . ties and winter-hardy varieties such as Mustang A have been conducted at Beeville, Beaumont, Prairie View, Lockhart and College Station in this area. Comparable yields and agronomic’ data for area 5 are given in Table 9. Alamo produced the highest average yields of A grain and also the highest test Weight during TABLE 10. COMPARABLE YIELDS OF FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN IN NURSERY EXPERIMENTS AT DENTON AND COL-. LEGE STATION. 1947-56 Denton College Station variety Bushels Number years Bushels Number years Rank in per acre tested per acre tested yield Bronco 51.8 6 50.5 6 13 Mustang 51.4 8 65.5 8 3 New Nortex 50.3 8 56.6 7 4 Nortex 107 49.1 7 52.8 5 l2 Ferguson 922 A 48.8 8 DeSoto A 47.4 8 55.4 6 6 Cimarron 47.0 2 Fulwin 45.5 8 Victorgrain 44.3 8 66.4 2 Arkwin 44.2 5 42.4 1 17 Midsouth 40.1 2 r Alamo 40.1 7 66.8 8 l " Taggart 39.3 4 15.3 9 18 Fultex 38.5 8 53.5 7 8 Frazier 38.1 8 43.8 6 16 1 Delair 35.3 8 46.1 5 15 ; Southland 34.7 5 52.9 G l0 Sunland 34.3 2 53.3 4 9 Floriland 24.4 3 54.3 4 7 * Seminole 14.1 2 46.4 3 14 " Camellia 52.7 7 ll t Alber 56.0 7 5 14 TABLE 11. YIELDS OF FALL VS. SPRING-SOWN NEW NORTEX OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN TEXAS. 1936-58. FOR YEARS WHEN BOTH SEEDINGS MATURED A CROP Number Years Yield per acre, bushel Location and years compared Fall sown Spring sown Denton, 1936-57 17 61.9 48.9 Temple. 1952-58 7 56.4 28.0 Iowa Park, 1952-58 7 80.8 30.7 Chillicothe, 1954-58 3 43.8 20.6 Amarillo, 1952-57 5 41.1 26.5 11950-57. Mustang, Victorgrain and Fulgrain also produced high yields because stem rust dam- aged them very little during this rather dry per- iod. All these varieties are susceptible to race 216 of crown rust, which is now prevalent. Vis- ;ual estimates of the forage value of these varie- ét-ies indicated that Fulgrain, Alber, Alamo and iSouthland were best for forage purposes. The iFlorida varieties, Floriland and Sunland, are re- fi1ssistant to prevalent races of crown rust but very usceptible to stem rust. No yields trials have been conducted in area Oats are sown principally for forage uses in 3 s sandy soil, high rainfall belt of Northeast exas. New Nortex, Mustang and Bronco are he best adapted varieties for nearby area 3 and re suggested also for area 6. No yield trials have been conducted in area A l. Oats are sown principally for winter pas- re. Observations and experience by farmers dicate that Mustang, Bronco and New Nortex * satisfactory for this area. URSERY TESTS Many experimental strains and commercial rieties are tested in replicated nursery yield 'als at the main breeding station of College Sta- and Denton. These tests are separate from Intra-state yield trials. There is considerable terest among growers and commercial seedmen these varieties; therefore, data on yields are en in Table 10. Data obtained in these tests are similar to bse obtained in area trials. Bronco, Mustang three Red Rustproof strains rank first to Yield of grain. bushels per acre Figure 12. Normal panicle of oats (left) contrasted with one destroyed by covered smut (center) and two (right) de- stroyed by loose smut. fifth in average yield at Denton. The commer- cial varieties Arkwin, Taggart and others were less productive than the recommended varieties. The Florida varieties Seminole, Floriland and Sunland were damaged by cold and ranked last. At College Station, Alamo, Victorgrain, Mustang, New Nortex and Alber ranked first to fifth, re- spectively, in average grain yield. Taggart, Ark- win, Frazier and Delair were lowest in yield as a result of rust damage. Performance Trials of Spring-sown Oats Thirty years ago more than half the oats grown in Texas were spring sown. In the prin- cipal oat growing sections of North Central Tex- as and the Rolling Plains, spring seedings are made during January and February. Most of the severe freezes occur in January and oats are seeded so the plants will emerge just after this 12. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS 01-" SPRING-SOWN OATS GROWN AT TEXAS STATIONS, 1352-57 Ch H I G Number "ariety . i 1- v owa reen- Mc- of 11151313113111? lggghg, 1551;, 1113131311513 lgglzlgs 135113133 Greg“ 11111511515111 3.1313133. ‘em t; “ - - - " 1353 34.3 30.3 47.0 44.4 33.3 33.3 33.3 33.1 43.7 31 '31 27.3 23.2 44.3 41.7 30.1 23.7 44.3 33.0 33.2 31 tang 32.3 25.1 33.3 31 313 . . . . . . 31.3 25.7 33.3 20 ‘r ex 31.7 23.3 33.3 42.0 57.7 27.7 30.3 21.5 37.0 24 33 24.3 13.5 33.3 37.4 23.3 3 11331353 23.1 17.0 30.5 37.2 33.3 23.0 45.1 3.1 23.1 31 15 Normal leaves of oats (left) contrasted with leaves infected with crown rust (right). Figure 13. period. Only a small percentage of the crop in this area is now spring sown except in years when widespread winterkilling of the fall-sown crop occurs. Spring-sown oats mature later than fall-sown oats and may be injured more severely by hot weather and by diseases which develop on the fall crop and then spread to the later maturing spring crop. The New Nortex variety has been included in all performance tests, both fall and TABLE 13. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS OF SPRING- SOWN OATS GROWN IN NURSERY PLOTS AT DENTON AND AMARILLO. 1949-57 Yield of grain. bushels per acre Denton Amarillo variety Com- Com- para- Num- para- Num- ble ber ble ber Rank aver- tests aver- tests age age Alamo 50.4 9 41.1 4 1 Mustang 50.4 9 37.8 3 3 Clintland 49.7 4 Missouri 0-200 48.5 6 26.9 2 13 Bronco 48.2 8 36.2 2 5 Victorgrain 47.8 7 Cimarron 47.6 2 Missouri 0-205 46.9 2 Andrew 46.9 8 27.7 2 12 Fultex 45.4 9 36.5 5 4 New Nortex 45.2 9 35.2 5_ 6 Frazier 44.3 9 33.7 4 8 Nortex 107 44.2 9 Ferguson 922 43.5 9 Cherokee 39.9 8 29.3 4 11 Nemaha 39.0 8 31.2 4 10 Fulwin 38.3 9 Clinton 36.7 6 24.6 3 14 Shelby 34.2 2 23.8 2 15 Neosho 39.0 5 2 Osage 34.9 2 7 Bonda 31.4 2 9 16 spring-sown, for many years. Table 11 giv average yields of New Nortex oats at five s tions for years in which both fall and spri; sown oats were harvested. Comparable yields j spring-sown oat varieties at several stations .1 1952-57 are given in Table 12. * Alamo has produced the highest yield of gra’. at nearly all stations and is outstanding Wh the average for the State "sis considered. 6T A rapid seedling growth, early maturity and rut resistance of Alamo makes it well suited to spri J seeding. Frazier ranks second and Mustang thi p in yield. Their early maturity, as compared the Red Rustproof strains, probably gave some advantage. Table 13 presents the yields of Alamo a other Texas varieties when tested at Denton a‘ Amarillo in comparison with the true spring-t oat varieties from major oat growing areas of t Midwest. Alamo ranked first at both locatio Mustang ranked second in most tests. Clintla and Missouri 0-200 yielded well at Denton wh Neosho, Osage and Bonda were among the leg ing varieties at Amarillo. As there appears to I no advantage for these northern varieties, t. local varieties Alamo and Mustang are reco mended for spring seeding. 1 Diseases of Oats The most common and destructive diseases if oats in Texas are the rusts, the smuts and Hi minthosporium blights. Septoria diseases, dery mildew, halo blight and diseases caused species of Helminthosporium other than victo cause damage locally at times. Diseases ’ cause serious losses in yield and quality of grad and they may also reduce the value of the c T for Winter pasture. Detailed descriptions of . most important diseases attacking oats are avi able in Texas Agricultural Experiment Stati, Bulletin 921, “Diseases of Small Grains in T as.” * COVERED AND LOOSE SMUTS The loose and covered smuts of oats are c trolled by the same measures, therefore they ~ be treated together. Both types are found Texas, but loose smut is more common. r smut destroys the entire panicle except for Q central rachis, while the covered smut dest , the kernel but leaves the glumes more or less tact. 3 Oat smuts are caused by parasitic fungi, W enter the tissues of the seedling at time of ge I nation and grow as mycelium within the .3 tissues during the season, finally replacing kernel or panicle with a mass of smut spo These smut spores are spread to healthy ke ‘ by the wind or in the threshing process. t smut spores remain on or within the hulls of . oat grain until germination time. Panicl? oats destroyed by loose and covered smuts in l, trast to a normal panicle are shown in Figurei _ Control of the oat smuts is easy and inexpen- ive. Most commercial seed cleaning establish- ents now have slurry or mist-spray type treat- {rs to apply recommended fungicides. They may lso be applied on the farm if proper equipment available. Fungicide masks should always be orn when working with fungicides and the anufacturer’s instructions should be followed losely. Treated seed is poisonous, and should 1 ot be fed to livestock. Proper treating of seed ith a good fungicide will not only control smut ut will improve germination by controlling other eedborne fungi. ROWN RUST The leaf rust of oats is called crown rust be- use of peculiar appendages on the teliospore, or lack overwintering spore. Crown rust is the ost destructive disease of oats in Texas and is potential threat to the crop every year. Figure 3 shows the tiny rust spots or pustules of crown st on an oat leaf. Crown rust is caused by a fungus that enters e plant tissue through leaf stomata. The or- nism grows within the leaf tissue and repro- 311088 in about 10 days. The round, orange pus- les contain tiny spores which may be carried 1y wind currents to other plants or fields. The isease is favored by warm temperatures, heavy gws and frequent rain showers. The spores of . be organism are carried into Texas from Mexico , may be carried southward by cold fronts in e fall. As conditions in South Texas are favor- for the disease during the winter, it per- during the winter and spreads northward t the season progresses. A i, The organism causing crown rust is made up t many races which may be likened to varieties , i, a crop plant. Some races can attack only a oat varieties while others can attack many rieties. The prevalence of races changes with A T»- sons and the varieties grown in an area of oat ' duction. Alamo, Mustang, Ranger and sev- l other varieties derived their crown rust re- stance from Victoria and were highly resistant races prevalent in Texas before 1957. Race ,6, previously found in Florida and eastern tes, became prevalent in Texas in 1957 and i Victoria-derived varieties were attacked by 1;. rust. The only practical means of control of crown t is growing resistant varieties. Recently sev- fungicides that will control rusts have been ieloped but their use is not yet practical. Va- ties vary greatly in their reaction as well as the degree of damage to grain production in g presence of the disease. The Red Rustproof ains are susceptible to prevalent races of wn rust yet frequently yield well in spite of siderable infection. Alber also has consider- tolerance to many races. Alamo, Ranger, iistang and Victorgrain are resistant to many a es but not to race 216. Suregrain, Moregrain, riland and Seminole are resistant to race 216 many others but susceptible to race 264. 3.53 Figure 14. Normal leaf of oats (left) contrasted with leaf and stems infected with stem rust. STEM RUST The stem rust of oats also is a potential threat to the crop each season. This rust differs from crown rust in producing brick red, elongate, large pustules on the stems, leaf veins, leaves and even panicles of oats. spores are formed in these same pustules; hence the common name “black stem rust.” When con- ditions are favorable, stem rust can develop rap- idly and cause serious reductions in test weight and yield of oats. Stem rust is favored by tem- peratures from 75 to 85° F., frequent showers or heavy dews and high humidity. This disease, like crown rust, is carried into South Texas in the fall by cold fronts or it may move northward from Mexico where it is present throughout the year. Growing resistant varieties is the only prac- tical means of control of stem rust. Alamo is the only adapted variety with resistance to stem rust. This variety is resistant to many races of stem rust. All other Texas-grown varieties are susceptible to most races. Early maturing va- Figure 15. Healthy plant of New Nortex oats (left) com- pared with plants of Fultex oats (right) showing varying degrees of damage by Helminthosporium blight. 17 As the crop matures, black TABLE 14. REACTICN OF COMMERCIAL VARIETIES OF OATS GROWN IN TEXAS TO HELMINTHOSPORIUM BLIGHT Resistant Susceptible New Nortex‘ Fultex Alber Alamo Camellia Victorgrain Midsouth F ulgrain Suregrain Mustangg Arkwin Bronco” Frazier Traveler Wintok DeSoto Fulwin Ranger Taggart Rustler ‘Includes other Red Rustprooi strains. "Considerable field tolerance under many conditions. rieties such as Fulgrain, Frazier and Victorgrain may escape damage many years. Stem rust of oats is shown in Figure 14. HELMINTHOSPORIUM BLIGHTS Several blights attack oats in Texas. The most serious is that associated with varieties de- rived from the variety Victoria and commonly called Victoria blight. This disease is caused by a seedborne and soilborne fungus. Seedlings may be attacked as soon as the grain sprouts or at later stages. Killing of seedlings may result in poor stands, or surviving seedlings may be ser- iously stunted and produce only lightweight seed. Infected plants have reddish, pale leaves or this discoloration may involve only parts of the leaf causing stripes of discolored tissue. The roots are damaged and often rot so that the plant is poorly nourished. Stems become blackened as they mature, especially at the nodes, and they may lodge. Figure 15 shows a normal plant in contrast to others damaged by Helminthosporium blight. Seed treatment with organic mercury fungi- cides will aid in controlling inoculum on the seed. Crop rotation will aid in reducing soil inoculum. Wild oats growing along roadsides near Den- Figure l6. ton. 1953. l8 The disease is favored by warm weather and high moisture conditions so it is most severe in South- Texas and usually of little importance in areas 1 and 2. ' Varieties differ greatly in reaction to Vic- toria blight. New Nortex and many others are highly resistant while Alamo, Fultex and others are very susceptible. Under field conditions Mus- tang and Bronco usually exhibit considerable tol- erance to blight but they may be seriously dam- p?" aged when conditions are very favorable for de- Table 14 gives the re- f velopment of diseases. action of the most common varieties to Helmin- thosporium blight. Insects Oats may be attacked by a number of insects- when conditions are favorable for the insect. Greenbugs and other aphids, the winter grainE mite and other spider mites, grubworms, cutYi worms and armyworms all may damage the crop during the winter while it is in the seedling stage. Descriptions of these and other insects, with sug- gested means of control, are given in Texas Ag- ricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 845, “Greenbugs and Some Other Pests of Small Grains.” Weeds Fall-sown oats are usually free of serious ,, weed infestations in Texas; however, if small grains are grown continuously on the same land, _7 several winter annuals may give trouble. Recent a importations of seed from California have been contaminated with wild oats, mustard and dar- nell seed. These weeds should be prevented from spreading. Johnsongrass is a problem in some wet seasons but usually the oats mature before Most growers know how to handle sunflowers and other com- this grass becomes troublesome. mon annuals. Figure 17. Cultivated Red Rustproot oats (B) in contr to wild and false wild types (top rows) iound as mixturef The most troublesome weeds in oats in Texas are wild oats, false wild oats and escaped culti- ~: vated types which grow along roadsides and fence rows. These not only spread into fields but serve as an early host for rusts and perhaps other dis- eases and provide food for aphids and spider mites, which then move to cultivated oats as soon as they are fall seeded. Crop rotation and de- struction of this volunteer grain are urged for these reasons. The wild and false wild oats shatter before the cultivated crop is harvested. This enables these types to increase rapidly. Furthermore, part of the seed from these plants may lie dor- mant for several years, part of the seed germi- nating each time the land is worked and the seeds are brought to a favorable seeding depth. Crop rotation and destruction of volunteer oats are necessary to keep wild oats in check. Thorough cleaning of planting seed will remove many of these wild types. Figure 16 shows wild oats growing along roadsides in North Central Texas; Figure 17 shows some of the wild and false wild types common in Texas. Improvement of Oats Research to improve oat varieties for grow- ing in Texas was started in 1911 with the estab- lishment of the Substation No. 6 at Denton, in the center of the oat producing area. Extensive selection in the Red Rustproof and Fulghum Ttypes of oats was carried on for many years. ield trials of many varieties were started. The Nortex and Frazier varieties were distributed in 926. A second strain of Red Rustproof, named New Nortex, was distributed in 1936. Oat breeding to incorporate crown rust re- istance from the variety Victoria started in 1930. The Ranger, Rustler and Fultex varieties devel- i oped from these crosses were released in 1942. FAftQT several years in which severe losses from 1 1.5 winterkilling occurred, breeding for greater hardiness was emphasized and this resulted in the d1str1but1on of Mustang in 1951 and Bronco 1n 1956. The need for a better oat for South Tex- as was apparent and the variety Alamo was dis- tributed in 1953. These varieties now occupy the majority of the acreage in Texas. The breeding of new varieties is a long and expensive process usually requiring 10 to 15 years and the testing of thousands of strains to f1nd the strain or strains that combine the good characters of the two parents. The floral parts of an oat spikelet are shown in Figure 18. Crosses are made by transferring the pollen from one variety to the stigma of ‘the flower of another variety. The hybrid populations must be grown and selected through four to eight gen- erations before final selections are pure enough for performance trials in nursery plots. The se- lections must be tested for reaction to diseases by means of greenhouse or field tests. They are compared with parent varieties or good commer- cial varieties for yield, standing ability, resist- ance to shattering, forage production, test weight and other characters. They are first tested in single rows and later in replicated yield trials in comparison again with the best commercial va- rieties. Figure 19 shows the 1958 spring-sown oat nursery at Denton, where hundreds of strains are tested in nursery plots. A small harvester has been designed for cutting these plots and each harvested bundle is carefully covered with a paper bag to insure purity and save all seed. Figure 2O shows the field plots where strains are given final comparisons before release to farm- ers. Harvested fall-sown plots are shown in the foreground while later maturing spring-sown plots are in the background. . The breeding of oats for Texas conditions must include emphasis on characteristics that will make a variety suited to a certain growing For Northwest Texas this emphasis must 211E221. Spring-sown oat nursery at Denton, 1958. Small nursery plots oi hundreds oi strains are grown side by side ior comparison under the same conditions. Note small harvester ior nursery plots. iFigure 18. Floral parts oi an oat spikelet. Crosses oi Figure 19. are made by removing the anthers irom the ilowers and then iertilizing the ilowers with pollen irom the plant oi other variety. 19 Figre bl and other characteristics. in contrast with short statue oats being developed rainfall, high fertility conditions. 20 Figure 21. Normal height commercial oats (left and right) Fall-sown oat varieties (foreground) and spring-sown tests in field plots at the Denton station. Varie- ties are grown side by side ior accurate comparisons oi yield tor high betrue winter hardiness; for North Central T as this must be the ability to withstand wide fl tuations in temperature; for South Texas, t, ease resistance is a major consideration. C. siderable emphasis has been placed on for characteristics for different areas. Recen there is great interest in developing oats with t ter ability to stand for combine harvesting or fi high fertility conditions sothat yields may Y raised to higher levels. Very short, stro‘ strawed varieties are being bred for this purpo One of these strains in comparison with comm cial varieties is shown in Figure 21. s While the development of new varieties and search to control diseases by means of sprays to control insects by means of resistant varie are slow and represent a major investment funds, the improvement by any of these is well worth the investment when projected the three million acres of oats grown in Tex Acknowledgments These investigations were conducted coo, atively by the Texas Agricultural Experim Station and the Crops Research Division, cultural Research Service, U. S. Department Agriculture. t ~ Acknowledgment is made of the coopera i of the many people and agencies taking party these state-wide small grain variety tests: L, Reyes and Edward Neal, Substation No. 1 i’: ville; Ralph Weihing and L. E. Crane, Substa No. 4, Beaumont; J. W. Collier and R. M. S Y Substation No. 5, Temple; D. I. Dudley, Sub‘ tion No. 6, Denton; Paul Marion and Wm; Hatchett, Substation No. 7, Spur; J. R. Qui a Substation No. 12, Chillicothe; L. E. Brooks, station No. 16, Iowa Park; O. E. Smith, Sui tion No. 18, Prairie View; B. C. Langley, ‘r station No. 20, Stephenville; M. J. Norris and O. Hill, Substation No. 23, McGregor; Dowi Porter, U. S. Cotton Field Station, Green C. E. Van Doren, U. S. Southwestern Great P c Field Station, Bushland; and M. C. Futrelli” Owen Merkle, Main Station, College Station. Off-station tests were conducted at Abilen cooperation with F. M. Churchill and Keith tice, Abilene Christian College; and at Floy through the cooperation of Roy Hale and Wi Rogers. l‘