Growing Food: A Guide to Food Production

The grain is high in carbohydrate and contains more protein than other cereals (up to
almost 20%) and 5–9% of highly unsaturated fat. It is a source of calcium, iron,
vitamin B 1 and nicotinic acid.
Two other cultivated species of oats are found:

• Avena byzantina—Red or Algerian Oats—of Asian origin, it is more resistant

southern North America.

White Oats (A. sativa) to produce a number of new cultivars.

PLANTING
Soil: of all the cereals, oats are second only to rye in their ability to survive in poor
soils. Best in neutral silt and clay loam, though oats can grow on moderately acid
soil where wheat or barley would fail. Waterlogged and high N soils can lead to
lodging, and oats are more susceptible to this than the other cereals. Moderate
tolerance of saline soil. Fertiliser requirements similar to wheat and barley, but less
N is required.
Rotation: oats should not be followed by another cereal, especially rye (or oats).
Seed rate: In the sub-tropics, 30–70 kg/ha on dryland, 50–80 kg/ha irrigated.
In temperate regions, 150–220 kg/ha for winter types, 190–250 kg/ha for spring
types. 28–35,000 seeds per kg.
Seed spacing: 18 cm between rows.
Depth: 4–5 cm.

GROWTH CONDITIONS
Day length: long-day.
Growth period: 180–220 days. Harvest should be just before the seed is fully ripe;
oats shatter easily, so a lot of seed can be lost on the ground.
Rainfall: about 750 mm per year is the minimum. Irrigation is most effective at
flowering.
Temperature: oat plants can be damaged by frost in very cold winters. Hot dry
weather before heading can cause seed loss.
Germination: storage conditions and seed viability for oats are similar to wheat.
Rotation: oats can be suitable as a pioneer crop, the first crop sown after breaking in
new land. Best after a root crop and not after another cereal, especially rye. They
should not be grown on the same land for too many years as eelworms can build up.
The plants are more prone to lodge if grown after a legume or if the soil has a high
Nitrogen content.
Pests: more resistant to insect attack than wheat or barley. Most problems are
caused by: armyworms, grasshoppers, leaf hoppers, crickets, grain bugs and frit fly.
Diseases: seed diseases include loose and covered smut, and stripe, all controlled by
seed dressings. Foliar diseases include rusts, especially Puccinia spp., controlled
with resistant varieties. Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe graminis) can also be a problem.

to heat and is grown in the warmer regions of North Africa, Argentina and

intercropped with barley, the two crops being planted, harvested and eaten

together. Plant breeders have crossbred Red Oats (A. byzantina) with Yellow or

126 TONY WINCH

Avena abyssinica—Abyssinian Oats—grown mainly in Ethiopia. Normally