Harisha - Kern 494

Harisha (Kern 494) is a Rabi multi-cut forage oat. Sow once, cut three to four times, and keep green fodder in front of your animals from December through April.

Cutting schedule and yield

The second cut is usually the biggest of the season. Realistic season totals: 150–180 quintal with average management, 180–220 quintal with good management, and 220–260 quintal with four cuts and a disciplined post-cut routine. The top figure needs everything done right — we would rather you plan on the middle.

Sowing window by region

The 15-day rule: every fortnight you delay past 15 November costs roughly 10–15% of yield. December sowing gives one or two cuts only — not multi-cut. Not recommended above 1,200 m in the mid-hills, where regrowth is poor.

How to sow

• Palewa: pre-sowing irrigation 5–7 days before. Skipping it drops germination by 20–30% — do not skip it
• Seed rate: 30–35 kg per acre by line sowing, 35–40 kg if broadcasting. Line sowing gives 10–15% better yield
• Spacing: rows 20–25 cm, depth 3–5 cm. Deeper than 5 cm delays emergence
• Basal: 16–20 kg N, 12–16 kg P₂O₅, 8–10 kg K₂O per acre
• Seed treatment: treat the seed before sowing — it prevents seedling blight in the first 20 days. Ask your dealer for the right product
• Pack size: 5 kg

The two moments that decide your season

1. Crown root irrigation at day 20–25. This is when the plant decides whether to tiller or stay single-stem, and a single-stem oat gives no multi-cut. Do not push this past day 28, however good the field looks.

2. The 48 hours after every cut. This is where most farmers lose their third and fourth cut — not because of the seed. Within 48 hours of each cut:

• Top-dress urea — about 12–16 kg N per acre after the first cut, 10–12 kg after the second, 8–10 kg after the third
• Irrigate within 1–3 days, or the urea simply will not work
• Keep animals off the stubble — trampling on cut crowns kills regrowth

Cut it right

Stubble height 7–8 cm — one palm-width from the ground. Cut lower and you damage the crown and regrowth fails. Cut in the morning once dew has dried; wet stubble left overnight invites rot. Cut before stem elongation begins — every day past that gives tougher, less nutritious fodder.

Frost

From late January the plains face frost nights, and the crop is most vulnerable in the 7–10 days after a cut when regrowth is tender. A light irrigation on the evening before a forecast frost is the single best protection. If frost is expected within 5–10 days of a planned cut, delay the cut — mature crop survives frost, tender regrowth does not.

Two field notes

• Wild oat (jangli jai) is the one serious weed, and there is no chemical option in an oat crop — the crop and the weed are too alike. Hand-weed while it is scattered
• Oats will not tolerate standing water beyond 48 hours. Cut drainage furrows immediately if patches waterlog

If you spray anything on the crop, observe the waiting period before cutting for animal feed. For small dairies feeding their own animals, neem oil avoids that wait.

Please remember the product code KERN-494 when ordering. Confirm dates and doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.