- Important benefits of winter oats include: greater fertility and the possibility of early harvest.
- We provide the recommended sowing date for winter oats, the norm and the sowing depth.
- How to fertilize winter oats?
Oats will not disappear from Polish fields
In the last few seasons, oats have been experiencing a renaissance in Polish fields. For many years, this species was associated with extensive cultivation in the poorest locations, low productivity and low grain price. More and more severe spring droughts have limited the area under spring cereals, especially spring oats, which are characterized by high water demand.
However, we are observing an increase in interest in oats in the food sector. The niche of oat products, e.g. vegan milk substitutes and breakfast cereals, is developing dynamically. There is also more and more talk about the high value of oats as a fuel raw material, which may also become a new direction in the use of this cereal grain.
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Winter oats – long awaited
Changes in the economic situation in recent years were accompanied by a discussion on the introduction of winter forms of oats to Poland. Winter oats are widely used in other European countries, e.g. Great Britain. However, the local varieties are characterized by too low a level of winter hardiness for the conditions in our country. Breeding work on winter oats is carried out by, among others: IHAR-PIB in Radzików.
Reports on the possibility of introducing winter oat varieties to the Polish market aroused great interest among domestic producers. Currently, the National Register of Varieties COBORU includes three varieties of winter oats: two IHAR creations – Edzio and Radzio and the KWS Snowbird variety. In the case of the first two varieties, it is still difficult to purchase seed material. Last year, the KWS Snowbird variety was distributed, which actually became the premiere of winter oats in Polish fields.
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Winter oats: why is it worth it?
KWS specialist Maciej Marczewski says that the new product has been very well received by domestic farmers, and for the 2024/2025 season there is even greater interest in winter oats.
– Winter oats yield higher than spring oats. In the case of KWS Snowbird, you can count on results of 7.5 t/ha. In addition to higher productivity, winter oats also have better feed and food value, including: thanks to the high fat content in the grain, low husk content, high hectoliter weight. These features will certainly be of interest to mills. It is also worth mentioning the greater resistance to oat crown rust and powdery mildew. Farmers welcome the possibility of an early harvest of winter oats, approximately 7 days after winter barley, said Maciej Marczewski in an interview with farmer.pl.
Winter oats: sowing date
We asked Maciej Marczewski from KWS about agrotechnical tips for sowing winter oats, based on the example of the KWS Snowbird variety. An important issue is the sowing date of this species to provide the plants with time to properly develop the most important autumn branching. As in the case of other winter cereals, winter oats are sown depending on the region of Poland at the turn of September and October. The sowing date of winter oats is from September 20 to October 10 . According to our interlocutor, the best results are achieved by sowing between September 25 and October 5.
Winter oats: sowing rate and sowing depth
The recommended sowing rate for winter oats is 300-320 grains/m2, which with a germination rate of 95%. and mtz at the level of approx. 37 g will give a sowing amount of 125-130 kg/ha. It is important that the sowing is not too dense, especially since winter oats have longer stalks and a "heavier" panicle than the spring form – so the field should be protected against lodging.
According to Maciej Marczewski, in the case of winter oats, it is worth taking special care of the appropriate sowing depth, thanks to which the plants will take root well and "hide" the tillering node for the winter. The optimal sowing depth for winter oats is 3-4 cm . The KWS specialist pays attention to seasoning and compacting the top layer of soil well before sowing winter oats.
– After several years of experience, I see that sowing winter oats too shallowly, in loose soil, without using a packing roller, provides less protection to the plants against heavy frosts – warns Maciej Marczewski.
Winter oats: fertilization
According to our interlocutor, pre-sowing fertilization of winter oats is similar to winter barley, although fertilizer doses are determined depending on the soil's nutrient content. However, oats can be considered a less demanding species in terms of fertilization and in an average location, a pre-sowing dose of potassium of 100-120 K2O/ha and phosphorus of 60 kg P2O5/ha will be sufficient. A total of approx. 100-120 kg N/ha of nitrogen can be administered, dividing this amount into a small starting dose and two spring doses – at the beginning of the vegetation in spring and in the shooting phase.
