Oat Varieties Research Articles

Determination of selected phenolic acid and majoritarian avenanthramides in different varieties of naked oats (Avena sativa L.) grown in Slovakia

Abstract Oats are important cereals. Oats are a good source of protein and lipids, polyphenolics, phenolic acids, flavonoids and avenanthramides. Avenanthramides is phenolic group, which is unique in oats and have antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and anti-proliferative effect. The aim of study is determination of the majoritarian avenanthramides (2c, 2p and 2f) and phenolic acids (p-coumaric and ferulic) in selected varieties of oat (Avena sativa L.) grown in two consecutive years using the HPLC method. The oats were exposed to ultrasound supported extraction (two 15 min cycles).The simultaneous separation was performed using C18 type of stationary phase. The method showed a good linearity in the concentration range 0.04 - 5.24 μg/mL for p-coumaric acid, 0.04 - 5.13 μg/mL for ferulic acid, 0.19 - 24.5 μg/mL for avenanthramide 2c, 0.53 - 17.1 μg/mL for avenanthramide 2p, 0.8 - 25.6 μg/mL for avenanthramide 2f. Correlation coefficients were higher than 0.9997. Detector operated at a wavelength 320 nm. The repeatability of the method was evaluated in three concentration levels with satisfactory results for each analyte. The content of both phenolic acids is significantly lower (50- - 100-times) compared to the total content of avenanthramides in both years’ harvests for all analyzed varieties. Content of total avenanthramides was the highest in varieties Racoon (723.28 mg/kg) followed by Oliver (578.59 mg/kg) and Kamil (384.17 mg/kg).

Can plant phenolic compounds reduce Fusarium growth and mycotoxin production in cereals?

ABSTRACTTo assess the in vitro activity of three phenolic acids (ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid) and two flavonols (quercetin, rutin) on mycelial growth and mycotoxin accumulation of Fusarium graminearum (FG), F. langsethiae (FL) and F. poae (FP), two different approaches were chosen. First, grains from oat varieties were inoculated with a suspension of three FL isolates to determine the influence of phenolic compounds on the accumulation of mycotoxins. The oat variety Zorro showed a tendency for lower accumulation of T-2/HT-2, diacetoxyscirpenol and neosolaniol. Second, a mycelium growth assay was conducted to follow FG, FL and FP growth on cereal based media supplemented with phenolic compounds. Increasing concentrations of ferulic acid substantially inhibited growth of FG and FL, while FP growth was reduced to 57%. In contrast, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, quercetin, and rutin slightly stimulated mycelium growth. Results about mycotoxin production in cereal based media were less conclusive.

Extraction and Purification of Protease from Nigella sativa for Its Potential Use in Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (CD) is a disease of the digestive system resulting from the intolerance of autoimmune system against gluten and gliadin proteins in wheat, barley, rye and some varieties of oats. In this work protease was isolated and partially purified from Nigella Sativa using ammonium sulphate, acetone and trichloroacetic acid. The purified protease was evaluated further for its possible use in celiac disease by its ability to hydrolyse both, gluten and gliadin. Data indicate that the highest purity of digestive protease enzymes was obtained by acetone 80% and 0.2M trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The enzyme purified by acetone exhibited the high value of Vmax (166.66 mg/min) and the low value of Km (0.133 mg/ml). When the obtained enzyme was tested to hydrolyse gluten and gliadin at two increasing concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/ml, almost similar efficacy was observed (28.46% and 32.02%; for gluten) and (22.7% and 16.84%; for gliadin), whereas Digestin, a positive control which contain Papain and Sanzyme 3500 and works by helping in the breakdown of proteins, produced higher efficacy at 2 mg/ml to hydrolyse gluten (38.67%) with 1 mg/ml (25.68%) whereas similar results were observed against gliadin at both concentrations (22.06% and 22.5%). This study show the efficacy of protease obtained from Nigella Sativa as a natural and economical source for the hydrolysis of gluten and gliadin, which is considered the primary reason for celiac disease.

Features of realization the productivity potential of oat varieties in northern Steppe of Ukraine

Features of realization the productivity potential of oat varieties in northern Steppe of Ukraine

Accumulation and distribution of calcium and magnesium in oat and correlation analysis with the uptake of sodium, potassium, and chloride elements

ABSTRACT Calcium and magnesium are related to the structure and functions of soil, especially the saline alkali soil. This study aimed to explore calcium element and magnesium element concentration and accumulation in relation to salt ion uptake and soil quality. The two elements in plant organs were studied for six oat varieties at four growth stages. The results showed that calcium element concentration and accumulation across plant organs ranged from 3.4 to 12.1 g kg−1 and 2.6 to 6.3 kg ha−1 while those for magnesium element ranged from 1.7 to 5.3 and 1.5 to 3.3. Among varieties, the concentrations and accumulations varied significantly. Significant variations also occurred among the four growth stages with a peak at delayed harvest stage. However, the highest accumulation occurred at maturity. The ratio [calcium element/magnesium element] increased from elongation (heading stage) (1.2 to 1.9 times) to delayed harvest stage (2.9 to 3.2 times). A significant (partial) positive correlation was found among concentrations of calcium, magnesium, chlorine, potassium elements and sodium. The prospect of using oat treated with calcium and magnesium fertilizer to reduce soil alkalinity should be studied further.

The effect of seeding rate on radiation interception, grain yield and grain quality of autumn sown oats

Abstract Oats are attracting increasing interest as a result of their nutritional and health benefits but increasing financial pressures are forcing growers to review all inputs including seed costs. High seeding rates are traditionally used for autumn sown oats in Ireland but it may be possible to use lower seed rates with resultant savings if oat plants can compensate for lower plant populations. A series of experiments were conducted in Ireland from 2015 to 2017 to investigate if lower seed rates could be used for autumn sown oats without compromising yield or quality. Experiments were conducted on both light and heavy soils at sites near Carlow in the centre of Ireland in which three oat varieties (Barra, Husky and Vodka) were grown at five seeding rates (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 seeds/m2). Experiments were also conducted at Kildalton in the south east of Ireland in which the same three oat varieties were grown at five different seeding rates (125, 250, 375, 500 and 625 seeds/m2). Establishment decreased significantly with seeding rate. Oat plants at low plant populations developed additional grains primarily through an increase in the number of grains per panicle. At GS32, there was no significant difference in radiation interception between seeding rates from 200 seeds/m2 to 500 seeds/m2. The difference in yield between the lowest and highest seeding rate treatments was 1.1 t/ha at the Carlow sites and 0.7 t/ha at the Kildalton site. There were no significant difference in margin between seeding rate treatments at a grain price of €125/tonne. Grain quality was not affected by seeding rate. Autumn sown oats can compensate for low plant populations with the result that the seeding rates used in good sowing conditions can be reduced without any impact on margin or on grain quality.

Exploring agronomic strategies to improve oat productivity and control weeds: leaf type, row spacing, and planting density

The trade-off between crop production and weed control is a fundamental scientific issue, as it is frequently influenced by individual crop competitive ability, population density, and planting pattern. A 2 yr field study was conducted to examine the relationship between planting density and row spacing, using two contrasting oat varieties. On average, high planting density (480 plants m−2) reduced weed biomass at oat maturity by 59% in 2012 and by 56% in 2013, when compared with a low density (120 plants m−2). The droopy-leaf variety suppressed weed biomass by up to 69% and weed density up to 72%, compared with the erect-leaf variety. In a drier year, the greatest grain yield was achieved with the droopy-leaf variety under the intermediate density, while in 2013, the erect-leaf variety under the high density had similar yield to the droopy-leaf variety at the intermediate density. A general trend was that increasing plant density suppressed weed infestation, and promoted crop biomass and yield. The droopy-leaf variety exhibited a strong competitive ability under the intermediate planting density, while the erect-leaf variety had a strong competitive ability under the high density. Taken together, there was a complex variety-by-environment interaction to achieve the balance between crop production and weed suppression, which was mediated by growing-season conditions.

New Sources of Adult Plant and Seedling Resistance to Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae Identified among Avena sativa Accessions From the National Small Grains Collection.

Accessions of cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) from the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Small Grains Collection in Aberdeen, ID were characterized for adult plant resistance (APR) and seedling resistance to crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae. Initially, 607 oat accessions with diverse geographic origins were evaluated in field tests in Baton Rouge, LA. Of those, 97 accessions were not fully susceptible and were tested in the field in St. Paul, MN against a diverse P. coronata f. sp. avenae population. Thirty-six accessions that had some level of resistance in both field tests and mean coefficients of infection of ≤20 were further evaluated for APR and seedling resistance. Among these, four accessions (PI 193040, PI 194201, PI 237090, and PI 247930) were resistant to eight P. coronata f. sp. avenae races as seedlings. Twenty-nine accessions had resistance to at least one of the P. coronata f. sp. avenae races. Three accessions (CIav 2272, CIav 3390, and PI 285583) were fully susceptible to all eight P. coronata f. sp. avenae races as seedlings. Further evaluation of the three seedling-susceptible accessions at the flag leaf stage in a growth chamber resulted in moderately susceptible to moderately resistant responses. The resistance sources presented here may contain genes not deployed in elite oat varieties, and may be useful for future crown rust resistance breeding. The adult and seedling resistance found in accessions of the cultivated oat species is especially valuable because it avoids problems associated with the transfer of genes from wild species to cultivated oat.

Volatile compounds in Chinese naked and covered oat groats and flakes

This article studied the volatile composition and content in 12 oat groats and flakes. Half of them were naked ones, and the other half were covered ones. Volatile compounds were compared between (i) naked and covered oat groats, (ii) naked and covered oat flakes, and (iii) oat groats and flakes to find out the changes in both composition and content with application of HS/SPME-GC/MS and multivariate analysis including principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Most oat flakes have higher sensory ranks compared to their oat groats, corresponding with the fact that processing improves the sensory properties of oat groats. The cluster analysis based on volatile contents showed no significant difference between covered oat samples and naked oat samples. Practical applications Oat flakes vary in flavor due to variety and distinct processing in each factory. However, few researches on volatile compounds in oats have been conducted. This article investigated the volatile compounds in Chinese naked and covered oat groats and flakes to find out if there were correlations between volatile composition and the oat varieties, geographic provenance, or processing of the samples. The research adds to the study of volatile compounds in Chinese oats.

VIABILITY OF OAT AND BARLEY SEEDS DURING STORAGE

The work presents the evaluation results of the viability of oat and barley collection varieties during storage in the laboratory conditions at the temperature of 20-25o C. Seed storage covered the period of 2006-2017. The research included 24 varieties of barley and 29 varieties of chaffy oats of domestic and foreign breeding collection. The seeds were stored in different packaging materials such as standard paper package; glass bottles of 0.25 liter and plastic bottles of 0.5 liter. The initial seed moisture content was 8.5-9.0 per cent. The varieties were divided into groups taking into account the initial laboratory seed germinating ability. For oats the fi rst group included 10 varieties with initial germination of 96-99%; the second group included 12 varieties with initial germination of 91-95%; the third group included 7 varieties with initial germination of 86-90%. For barley the fi rst group consisted of 5 varieties with initial germination of 91-99%; the second group consisted of 10 varieties with initial germination of 81-90%; the third group consisted of 9 varieties with initial germination of 71-80%. Determination of seed quality was carried out in 7 and 11 years’ time. The initial moisture content of seeds remained without signifi cant changes in all packaging types during the storage period of 11 years. It was also noted that germination of oat and barley seeds during 7 years of storage did not differ in any type of package. The average value in all three groups of oats was 93.2%. After 11 years of storage, germination of oat differed a little, depending on the type of package. In a paper bag it was 80.4%; in a glass bottle – 88.2%; in a plastic bottle – 85.1%. The average initial germination of three groups of barley in 7 years’ time of storage was 84.7%. After 11 years of storage, germination of barley was 53.2% in a paper bag; 63.3% in a glass bottle; 61.8% in a plastic bottle It was revealed that oat and barley seed germination in 7 years’ time did not differ in any type of package. After 11 years, germination of oats was 5.8% higher, and germination of barley was 8.6% higher in a sealed plastic bottle than in a standard paper bag. Differences in seed germinating ability between the glass and plastic bottles were not observed.

YIELD VARIABILITY OF GRAIN CROP VARIETIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE STEPPE ZONE OF WESTERN SIBERIA

The work presents the results of research into the yield and quality of grain obtained from crop varieties of different maturity types, namely spring common wheat varieties (mid-early Pamyati Aziyeva, mid-late Baganskaya 95 and Omskaya 28), spring barley (early-ripening Bagan, mid-ripening Acha and Signal) and spring oats (early-ripening Krasnoobsky, mid-ripening SIG, mid-late Ural 2). The study was conducted in the conditions of the steppe zone of Western Siberia (North Kulunda), the climate of which is extremely continental, and is characterized by signifi cant variability of agrometeorological conditions of the vegetation period by years and a drought during the fi rst half of summer. It was established that sowing of midripening and mid-late varieties of wheat and barley resulted in the increase of the grain yield by 0.47-1.07 t/ha or by 24-30%, compared with the more early-ripening varieties. Among various biotypes of oats, the highest yields of grain were formed by sowing of the mid-ripening variety, which was by 0.60-0.87 t/ha or 19-30% higher than the early and mid-late varieties, whereas the highest yield of green mass was achieved by sowing of the mid-late variety. All varieties of barley, oats and mid-early wheat were characterized by signifi cant variability in grain yields by years (with coeffi cient of variation being 24-38%), while midlate varieties of wheat were characterized by medium or small variability in grain yields (coeffi cient of variation being 3-12%). The content of crude gluten in the grain of wheat varieties varied considerably depending on agrometeorological conditions (coeffi cient of variation being 20-25%). On average, over the years of research, the highest content of gluten (34.0%) was in the grain of the mid-early variety Pamyati Aziyeva, the lowest content (27.4%) was in the mid-late Baganskaya 95. The maximum amount of crude gluten in the wheat grain (33.6-40.0%) was observed in the dry year, the minimum (19.9-26.4%) was in the year with favorable humidity. The content of crude protein in the barley grain varied in the experiment from 11.6 to 14.9% (coeffi cient of variation being 9-14%) and did not differ signifi cantly by varieties (12.5-12.9%). The greatest amount of crude protein in the grain of all varieties of barley (13.7-14.9%) was recorded in the dry year.

Classification of Varieties of Grain Species by Artificial Neural Networks

In this study, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed in order to classify varieties belonging to grain species. Varieties of bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, oat and triticale were utilized. 11 physical properties of grains were determined for these varieties as follows: thousand kernel weight, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, kernel volume, surface area, bulk density, true density, porosity and colour parameters. It was found that these properties had been statistically significant for the varieties. An Artificial Neural Network was developed for classifying varieties. The structure of the ANN model developed was designed to have 11 inputs, 2 hidden and 2 output layers. Thousand kernel weight, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, kernel volume, surface area, bulk density, true density, porosity and colour were used as input parameters; and species and varieties as output parameters. While classifying the varieties by the ANN model developed, R2, RMSE and mean error were found to be 0.99, 0.000624 and 0.009%, respectively. In classifying the species, these values were found to be 0.99, 0.000184 and 0.001%, respectively. It has shown that all the results obtained from the ANN model had been in accordance with the real data.

Alimentación de ovinos con heno de avena cosechado en dos etapas de madurez en el noroeste de Chihuahua, México

Manipular la variedad y la etapa de madurez al corte del heno de avena (Avena sativa L.), puede mejorar el valor nutricional del forraje y por tanto la respuesta productiva de los animales. Se evaluó el efecto de la alimentación de corderas con heno de tres variedades de avena, cosechadas en dos etapas de madurez. El estudio se llevó a cabo en el noroeste del estado de Chihuahua, México. La hipótesis fue que la avena cosechada en madurez fisiológica presenta mayor proporción de grano lo que mejora el valor nutritivo del forraje y la ganancia de peso en las corderas. Las variedades de avena evaluadas fueron Cuauhtémoc, Menonita y Bachíniva. Las avenas fueron cosechadas para heno en las etapas de grano lechoso-masoso (L-Masoso) y madurez fiológica (M-Fisiológica). Se usaron 72 corderas (21,2 ± 3,7 kg), que fueron agrupadas por peso y alimentadas ad libitum durante 63 d, con una ración compuesta de 65 % heno de avena y 35 % concentrado. El diseño fue en bloques completos al azar con arreglo factorial 3 x 2 entre variedad y etapas de madurez. La composición química de los forrajes fue similar entre las variedades de avena. No se observó efecto de variedad ni etapa de madurez sobre el comportamiento productivo de las corderas. El consumo de materia seca, la ganancia diaria de peso y la conversión alimenticia en L-Masoso y M-Fisiologica fueron 1,03 y 1,01 kg, 119 y 130 g, y 9,6 y 8,9 kg a-1 d-1, respectivamente. La falta de respuesta en los animales se atribuyó a la composición química similar que presentaron los forrajes. Aunque la avena cosechada en L-Masoso mejoró (P

PRODUCTIVITY AND GRAIN QUALITY OF THE OAT VARIETY ‘YAKOV’ IN DEPENDENCE OF DESICCANTS AND THE TERMS OF THEIR USE IN THE MIDDLE PRE-URAL TERRITORY

A desiccation under specific soil-climatic conditions makes it possible to ensure a uniform maturation of the grains in oats panicle and to preserve the formed yield. Thus, the purpose of our research was to determine the effect of different desiccants and the terms of their application on the yield and quality of the grain of the oat variety ‘Yakov’. The research was carried out on the experimental field of AO “Uchkhoz Iyulskoe IzhSAA” during 2015–2017. The soil was sod medium-podzolic medium-loamy, the arable soil layer on the experimental plots was of an average cultivation degree. SCC in the critical phase of oats development, paniculation phase was 0.8 in 2015, 1.5in 2016 and 2.2 in 2017. Therefore, grain productivity in dependence on the desiccants was different. In the phase ‘milky kernel-full ripeness’ an average daily air temperature was 21.4 °C in 2016, 16.3 °C in 2015, 18.4 °C in 2017. As a result, it was found that after 9 days of ‘milky kernel’ formation oat seeds pre-treated with ‘Raundap’, ‘Basta’ and ‘Reglon Super’ produced the largest yield 4.23 t/ha in 2015 and 6.64 t/ha 2017 with 24.1% and 27.3% husk content, 571 g/l and 578 g/l nature weight respectively. In 2016, the highest yield of 4.45 t/ha was obtained after the application of desiccants 6 days after of ‘milky kernel’ formation, husk content was 27.4% and nature weight was 533 g/l.

A screening method to detect BYDV‐PAV resistance in cereals under glasshouse conditions

A reliable method was developed to screen cereal crops for BYDV‐PAV resistance in glasshouse experiments. This also entailed the evaluation of traits associated with Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) infection such as leaf discolouration, reduction in growth, biomass and yield traits, and percentage of virus‐infected plants, using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA). Four glasshouse experiments were conducted with eight wheat, barley and oat varieties inoculated with BYDV‐PAV at the 2‐leaf stage, using different numbers of viruliferous aphids and different inoculation periods and temperatures. Inoculation with 5–10 viruliferous aphids per plant for 4 days led to a high percentage of infection in susceptible varieties, indicating that this is an effective BYDV screening method when selecting for resistance in cereal crops. For barley and oat, visual evaluation of symptoms is considered adequate for assessing BYDV resistance. However, for wheat it is necessary to evaluate BYDV resistance by ELISA/TBIA tests and plant biomass (at early stage) and grain number and yield (at late stage) measurements.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ КОМПОНЕНТНОГО СОСТАВА АВЕНИНОВ ОВСА, ВОЗДЕЛЫВАЕМОГО В ЗАПАДНОЙ СИБИРИ

Background. In the environments of Western Siberia, oat is one of the main cultivated cereals. Six varieties of common oat are included in the State Register for Tyumen Province: 'Perona', 'Megion', 'Tyumensky Golozerny', 'Talisman', 'Otrada' and 'Foma'. Currently, not only traditional methods of breeding are used for the development of new cultivars of intensive type in Tyumen Province, but also biochemical markers - prolamins. The aim of the research was to study the component composition of avenins and allelic status of avenin-coding loci in common oat varieties cultivated in Tyumen Province as well as to identify alleles specific to the region. Materials and methods . For laboratory analysis we used 100 kernels selected at random from each of the oat varieties. Electrophoretic separation of avenin was carried out on vertical plates of polyacrylamide gel. Results and conclusion . The varieties 'Perona', 'Talisman', 'Foma' and 'Tyumensky Golozerny' were found to be homogeneous in their avenin component composition, while 'Megion' and 'Otrada' included two biotypes with a 2:1 ratio. Their heterogeneity is determined by the presence of two allelic variants controlled by the Avn A locus. Clustering by the UPGMA method showed that the studied varieties were divided into two clusters. The first cluster included 'Tyumensky Golozerny' and 'Megion', while the second harbored 'Perona', 'Talisman', 'Otrada' and 'Foma'. The genetic distance between the varieties 'Talisman' and 'Perona' was zero, and their avenin formulas coincided: Avn A4 B4 C2. The identity of their storage protein spectra is due to the fact that these allelic variants of prolamin component blocks are linked to valuable economic and adaptive features. Blocks of the components А4, В4, С1 and С2 prevail in the frequency of occurrence in the spectra of the investigated varieties. These blocks can act as markers of gene associations with adaptive significance and economic value. Thus, when performing breeding work in Tyumen Province, it is necessary to pay attention to oat varieties whose prolamin spectra contain the aforementioned blocks of avenin components.

Performance and analysis of different fodder crops and perennial grasses in Eastern region of Bihar

The fodder production in the country is not sufficient to meet the requirement of the growing livestock population and also forage offered to animal are mostly of poor quality. Fodder comprises a major protein of dairy ration of milch animal therefore cultivation of nutritious and high yielding fodder is inevitable. Profitable livestock farming depends mainly on adequate availability of fodder with reasonable price. Field experiment was carried out on “Evaluation of yield and acceptability of different fodder crops and grasses" at Bihar Agricultural University Research Farm during 2012 to 2015. Results revealed that the variety of Multicut sorghum, Maize (African tall) and cowpea (variety-UPC-5286) perform very well in terms of green fodder yield in Kharif season. However, in Rabi season, the variety of barseem BB-2 (Average yield 620q/hac.), Lucerne Mescavi (Av. Yield, 600 q/ha) and oat variety JHO-851 (Average yield 470 q/ha) was better perform followed by BB-3 variety barseem (610 q/ha), chetak variety of Lucerne (500 q/ha) and JHO-99-2 variety of oat (460 q/ha) was observed highest green fodder yield. However, in case of perennial grass the hybrid Napier variety Swetika (Av. Yield 1000-1200 q/ha/year) and Bundel Guinea-2 variety of Guinea Grass producing maximum fodder yield (700-800 q/ha/year) and also better adoptability andproduction potentiality of green fodder in eastern region of Bihar.

Adaptive peculiarities of oat varieties on West of Ukraine

Adaptive peculiarities of oat varieties on West of Ukraine

Performances of early and late maturing oat varieties in cold regions

Oats are widely used in cold regions as forage and grain crop, with early maturing oat varieties having long planting history. More attention is paid to variety maturity, including both naked and hulled types, for production in cold regions. Despite wide planting of early maturing oat in the cold regions in China, no systematic evaluation on yield and quality of the oat varieties in these regions has been conducted. Qinghai and Inner Mongolia are typically cold regions in China due to high elevation and high latitude respectively, and are representative areas for experimentation on growing oats in cold regions. In this study, we tested production and quality of early and late maturing oat varieties at five locations in Qinghai Province and one location in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions. We measured several growth, yield and quality parameters of four early maturing and three late maturing oat varieties in the former locations and six early maturing and one late maturing oat varieties at the latter locations. Parameters measured included leaf length, leaf width, panicle length, dry forage yield, seed yield crude protein and others. Attention was primarily paid to oats maturity due to the emphasis on forage and crop productivity without cons derma for to what the varieties were naked and hulled. The results showed that, in the regions of Qinghai Province with high altitude, forage yield and quality parameters of the early maturing varieties were not significantly different from those of the late maturing varieties. However, seed yield of the early maturing varieties (3702 kg/hm2) was significantly higher than that of the late maturing varieties (2759 kg/hm2) ( P <0.05). In the regions of Inner Mongolia with high latitude, the dried forage yield (3209 kg/hm2) and seed yield (8110 kg/hm2) of the early maturing varieties were significantly higher than those of the late maturing varieties. But the crude protein content in the early maturing varieties was not significantly with late maturing varieties. Our study shows that production and properties of early maturing oats used for forage and grain is similar to normally higher yielding late maturing oats, indicating that early maturing oats are better than late maturing varieties to the short grow season in cold regions. Therefore, early maturing oat varieties should be used as both cereal and forage in the cold regions.

Incidence of Penicillium verrucosum in Grain Samples from Oat Varieties Commonly Grown in South Dakota

Ochratoxin A (OTA) can cause toxicogenic effects in humans and animals when contaminated food products are consumed. Oat ( Avena sativa), like any other cereal grain, can be contaminated with OTA when storage conditions are favorable for fungal growth and toxin production. South Dakota is among the leading oat-producing states in the United States. It is therefore important to determine the frequency of occurrence of the primary OTA-producing fungal species on oat grains produced in the state. In this study, we evaluated oat grain samples from South Dakota for the incidence of Penicillium verrucosum, the major ochratoxigenic fungus in temperate regions. Kernels from 12 oat cultivars grown at multiple locations in South Dakota from 2014 to 2016 (15 location-year combinations) were plated on dichloran yeast extract sucrose glycerol agar medium. P. verrucosum was detected on 0.30, 0.19, and 0.05% of the kernels tested in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Overall, 22 of the 360 evaluated samples had kernels contaminated with P. verrucosum. The fungal incidence of the contaminated samples ranged from 1 to 16%, and the majority of those samples originated from one location. All samples from 2014 and 2015 ( n = 240), except two, had no detectable levels of OTA. The concentration of OTA was well under the maximum limit recommended by the European Union for the two samples with detectable levels of OTA.