OATS (Avena sativa, L.)

Importance and grain composition:

Oats is used for the production of oat flakes and healthy diet products. The most important, however, is the use for animal feeding. Oats is typical feed for horses and breeding animals. It stimulates the sexual instinct and has been reported to have a lactogenic effect in females. It is suitable feed for young animals (naked or husked oats) because it favourably influences the digestive tract mucosa. These favourable effects are attributed to mucous substance consisting of polysaccharides (mainly β-glucans). Oats can also be fed as green fodder or ensiled.

Oat grains contain 8-14% protein with high levels of lysine, methionine and threonine. Reserve proteins gliadin (prolamin) and avenin (glutenin) are present in small amounts only. Nitrogen-free extract is about 57%, consisting mainly of starch. Oats also contains a higher amount of fat (about 5%), mainly non-saturated fatty acids, oleic acid and linolenic acid. Fiber is contained mainly in the cells of the glumes and small glumes that are not removed during harvest. Crude fibre content is the highest of all the cereals (about 12%), which compromises the digestibility of oats. For young animals, husked or naked oats is better. Naked oats has only about 1.5% of crude fibre. Minerals are also present at higher levels, particularly potassium and phosphorus. Oats has a higher content of calcium than other cereals.

 Cultivation requirements:

Oats with glumes has quite low requirements for soil and climatic conditions. Its root system is massive and has a high resorption capacity so it can obtain nutrients from poor soils, too. Medium to heavy soils give the highest yields of oats. It requires enough moisture. The best previous crops are root plants and clovers, but it is most commonly grown after cereals which are less suitable. It is not recommended to grow oats in the same field in two successive years because there is a risk of spreading stem eelworm (Ditilenchus dipsaci). A recommended interval is 4 years.

Naked oats requires medium soil with sufficient moisture supply, preferably in lower altitudes. It is more demanding for the previous crop, it should be grown after suitable crops such as root plants and clovers.