Assessment of distribution and diversity of Avena sterilis L. and Avena fatua L. in cereal crops of Greece based on a 3-year survey and selected morphological traits

Abstract

Under the view of species genetic erosion and the need of better crops, wild species could become important germplasm sources for breeding. At present, several wild Avena species are used as donors of valuable characters in oat breeding. In this study, wild oat distribution and diversity in wheat, barley and oat fields of Greece was examined by means of a 3-year survey in some typical cereal producing regions in the central part of the country. Greenhouse experiments were also conducted in order to compare seedlings grown from wild oat accessions of these regions under the same conditions. A total of 151 fields were surveyed and 158 accessions of wild oats were studied in terms of some morphological traits. The occurrence and distribution of A. sterilis was very high, while a noticeable and first-time analytically reported presence of A. fatua was evident in some of the surveyed wheat fields. The high diversity of wild oat was furthermore indicated by means of the pot experiments. The high degree of phenotypic variation in A. sterilis could be attributed to the earlier introduction of this species in the sampling area, compared to A. fatua. Wild oat distribution and diversity in a region seems crucial for the cereal production and is an important parameter which must be considered in evaluating efficacy of weed control strategies, while genes controlling these characters could be potentially used to improve cultivated forms of oats or other cereals.