Black oat as an alternative forage species for the US upper Midwest

Abstract

Black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) is a cool‐season annual grass with Mediterranean origin. In contrast to other cool‐season grasses, black oat is more heat tolerant and disease resistant, making it an attractive option for U.S. upper Midwest, since it can be utilized during summer, when there is decreased productivity of cool‐season forages due to photorespiration. Black oat is recommended for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8b‐10a, far away from the upper Midwest (zones 2a‐5b). The objective was to evaluate 10 black oat breeding lines (referred to as UF1 through UF10) for herbage accumulation, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) concentrations. The experiment was carried out on May‐July 2021 and 2022 in Stratford, WI. Triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack cv. ‘TriCal 342’) and ‘Legend 567’ oat (Avena sativa L.) were included as controls, as well as ‘Ogle’ oat as a regionally‐recommended cultivar. Herbage accumulation differed by treatment (P = 0.002) and averaged 5900 lbs. acre−1 among black oat lines, with UF3 and UF10 having greater herbage accumulation than oat checks Ogle and Legend 567, and Trical 342 triticale. Crude protein concentration of UF7 and UF3 was 8.5 to 9.5%, respectively. The IVDOM concentrations were above 58% for all black oats. Results indicate certain black oat have the potential to provide forage resources during the early summer in the upper Midwest, but further studies are warranted to evaluate how to best manage this species into cropping or pasture systems in the region.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Nutritive value and forage accumulation of a black oat germplasm in the northeastern United States

“…Treatments consisted of 10 black oat lines (denoted as UF1 through UF10), Legend 567 winter oat (Avena sativa L.) and Haden spring oat (A. sativa), and TriCal 342 and Gunner triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack). Legend 567 and TriCal 342 have been used as controls for black oat experiments in Florida and other locations (Jaramillo et al, 2023), provided they are commercially available and commonly planted species in the region. Haden oat and Gunner triticale were included as recommended varieties for Pennsylvania.…”