Department releases winter oats list for 2021 season

The recommended list for winter oats was released by the Department of Agriculture this week. The biggest change was the inclusion of WPB Isabel on the fully-recommended list. It was provisionally recommended for the first time in 2020.

The variety has a relative yield score of 104 and scores 7 for both resistance to lodging and straw breakdown.

Barra, Delfin, Husky, Keely and RGT Southwark remain on the list.

Delfin rates highest for yield with a score of 111. It is also the shortest variety on the list at 102.1cm and not surprisingly scores a 7 for resistance to lodging. It also rates highly on resistance to mildew with a score of 8. KPH is on the lower end at 55.6.

Barra needs no introduction having first made the list in 1986. The variety has stood the test of time and plays an important role in food-grade oat crops.

Keely, Husky and RGT Southwark have relative yield scores of 104, 105 and 106 respectively according to the recommended list.

Both Keely and Husky score an 8 for earliness of ripening and both are equal on disease resistance at 5 for resistance to mildew and 4 for resistance to crown rust. Husky scores a 7 for resistance to lodging.

In the quality ranks Husky rates highest on kernel content at 75.9%. Delfin has the highest thousand grain weight at 43.7g and WPB Isabel has the highest KPH at 58.4.

Husky and WPB Isabel take up the majority of the seed availability for the coming season.