Abstract

Winter annual forage crops like oats, wheat, triticale and even barley can be planted at the end of summer (mid-February) to supply fresh forage in a situation of low dry matter availability. This means sowing an annual cereal out of its natural planting window, which normally is in cooler weather condition (March through June in Southern Hemisphere) and exposing the plants to a high temperature environment that can lead to a quick flowering induction of tillers. Therefore, we conclude that the selection of adapted forage genotypes by evaluation of regrowth, tillering and forage production should be complemented by a phenological characterization that should lead to a selection of better adapted forage genotypes.

Keywords: Oat; Forage; Flowering genetics; Phenology