To investigate the agronomic management of oats through variety selection, nutrition, and time of sowing strategies and their influence on hay yield and quality.
This article will summarise the key results from the 2019 to 2021 trials at the Hart field site, focusing on nine oaten hay varieties, two sowing dates and three applied N rates.

• Hay yields were consistently improved from early May sowing due to crops maximising access to available soil water in challenging seasons at Hart.
• Interactions between sowing date and variety were inconsistent for hay quality, however sowing earlier did reduce some measures of hay quality.
• Low rates of nitrogen (N) fertiliser (30 - 60 kg N/ha depending on the season) provided the most benefit for hay yields across these trials. Responses in higher rainfall years are expected to favour greater N inputs.
• Hay yield responses for varieties were similar, with seasonal conditions favouring mid-maturing varieties.
• Varieties did not respond differently to applied N however, caution should be taken in interpreting N response from the SA trial series alone, due to consecutive dry seasons limiting soil N mineralisation for the crop.