Nutrient availability of soil influenced by Nitrogen levels and cutting management in fodder oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivation

The field experiment, conducted to evaluate the Effect of nitrogen levels and cutting management on growth, yield and quality of fodder oat (Avena sativa L.). A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season 2015-16 at Crop Research Centre (Chirauri) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.) to evaluate the effect of nitrogen levels and cutting management on performance of fodder oat and chemical properties of soil. The area lie at a latitude of 29o 40’ North and longitude of 77o 42’ East with an elevation of 237 meters above mean sea level. The soil of the experimental field was well drained, sandy loam in texture and slightly alkaline in reaction. It was medium in available nitrogen and phosphorus but high in available potassium with an electrical conductivity (1:2, soil: water suspension) of 1.6 dS/m. The treatments comprised 5 nitrogen levels (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1) and 2 cutting management (single at 50% flowering and double at 60 DAS and 50% flowering), replicated 4 times in a factorial randomized block design. The data on growth, physiology, green forage yield and quality and its contributing traits were calculated on net plot area basis (16 m2), whereas content and uptake in straw along with soil available nutrients and production economic, were recorded as per the standard procedure. The results indicated that leaf area index at all the stages of oat was significantly superior at 160 kg nitrogen ha-1. Likewise, single cut resulted into higher value of above mentioned parameter than their respective counterparts like double cutting (60DAS and 50 % flowering).