Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Timing in Oats and Final Oat Quality

Abstract

Pre-harvest glyphosate is often applied to cereal crops, such as oats, to insure uniform grain ripeness at harvest. However, some buyers have claimed that this practice negatively affects oat end product quality. Oat samples were grown in two different growing locations for each of two crop years, and glyphosate was applied at the soft dough, physiological maturity, or not applied. Groat quality and starch quality parameters were analyzed, and rolled oats were produced to analyze end product quality. Groat hardness, groat percentage, and percent plump groats were significantly (P<0.05) affected by glyphosate application at the soft dough stage. However, application of glyphosate at physiological maturity did not appear to detrimentally affect groat starch or end product quality. Therefore, pre-harvest glyphosate application isappropriate for oats providing it occurs after plants reach physiological maturity.