Nitrogen uptake and partitioning in oat ( Avena sativa L.) are not well documented. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the critical timing of N supply on the growth, N uptake, and partitioning. Plants grown in plastic pots were subjected to five N fertilization regimes: (i) control, N supply from seedling to physiological maturity (PM); (ii) N supply from seedling to flag leaf; (iii) N supply from flag leaf to PM; (iv) N supply from seedling to heading; and (v) N supply from heading to PM. Leaf chlorophyll content, plant dry matter (DM), and N uptake and accumulation were measured. Total plant DM was 21% greater for naked 'VAO-2' than for covered 'Prescott', while both genotypes produced similar grain yields. Varietal differences in total plant N were significant ( P