How to maintain oat green leaf canopy
The key yield components of oats are grain numbers per unit area, and the individual grain weight. High yields come from achieving the correct leaf and shoot numbers, maintaining a green leaf canopy, increasing grain numbers/head and grain size. Nitrogen, magnesium and potassium are of particular importance in maintaining a green leaf canopy.
Nitrogen affects leaf canopy development and duration
Chlorophyll is a nitrogen and magnesium rich protein that gives the plant its green colour and is central to efficient photosynthesis.
The relationship between leaf chlorophyll content and nitrogen is well proven positive.
Tools like N-Tester, that measure the chlorophyll content of leaves, make the use of this relationship to estimate the N nutrition status of crops.
Magnesium helps maintain canopy greenness
As magnesium is the central atom of chlorophyll, it affects the formation of chlorophyll and the amount in the crop. Magnesium also activates enzymes and acts alongside potassium and calcium as a regulator of the osmotic potential (salt-water balance) of the plant. The salt-water balance in turn affects the movement of water and nutrients around the plant and the plant structure (wilting).
As well as the canopy greenness, it is also important to ensure that the structure and architecture is maintained further improving the efficiency of the crop to capture light and convert it to yield.
Potassium prevents premature wilting and lodging
Potassium plays a very important role in maintaining cell turgidity and strength as well as nutrient movement around the plant. Inadequate supplies of potassium can lead to premature wilting and a lodged canopy. Straw deficient in potassium is more brittle increasing the risk of lodging that dramatically reduces both yield and quality. Potassium levels control the opening and closing of stomata, regulating water loss from the leaf surface preventing the plant from wilting in dry periods.
Potassium is needed to increase the frost resistance of overwintering plants and is one of the most common enzyme activators. It participates in the activity of more than 60 enzymes. Adequate potassium supplies will extend the grain filling period leading to improvements in grain weight. The demand for potassium is higher than any other nutrient with the majority taken up during vegetative growth. Applications should be targeted to meet this demand.
Related articles
How to Increase Oat Yield
High yields of oats come from the correct balance of grain numbers per ear and ears per unit area.
How to increase oat leaf and shoot numbers
The number of leaves and shoots determines the size of the canopy and the final number of ears at harvest. Nitrogen, phosphate and sulphur are the most important for increasing leaf and shoot numbers.
How to increase oat grain numbers
Grain number is a function of the number of fertile shoots per unit area and the number of grains per head. The main impact of nutrition is on this is on the numbers of grains per head.
How to increase oat grain size and specific weight
Grain specific weight is a measure of the density of the grain. Specific weight is predominantly a genetic trait of varieties, but poor crop nutrition and application can reduce specific weight.
Identify and diagnose oat nutrient deficiencies
Identify and diagnose if your oats are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn more about the symptoms and causes and how to control or correct the deficiency
Recommended Yara fertilisers for oats
Agronomy advice related to oats
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