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Yield Component Differences between Naked and Conventional Oat
Author(s) -
PeltonenSainio Pirjo
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1994.00021962008600030010x
Subject(s) - avena , panicle , caryopsis , cultivar , agronomy , yield (engineering) , sowing , biology , poaceae , chemistry , horticulture , materials science , metallurgy
Grain yield of naked oat ( Avena sativa var. nuda L.) is lower than that of conventional hulled cultivars. This field study was conducted to determine yield component differences between naked and conventional oat and to assess the potential of naked oat as a grain crop for northern environments. Studies were conducted at the Viikki Experimental Farm, University of Helsinki, Finland, in 1991 and 1992. Grain yield and 24 morphophysiological traits of 10 naked and 6 hulled lines were compared. Grain yield was 30% lower in the naked lines than in the hulled ones. Due to the high hull content ( ≈ 25%) of conventional lines, they produced only 10% higher groat yields than the naked oat lines. Naked lines had fewer panicles per square meter, due to their lower emergence, suggesting that a 10% increase in planting density of naked lines may result in equal groat yields of naked and conventional lines. Compared with hulled lines, naked lines had higher vegetative phytomass associated with lower harvest index. When grains were dehulled, the harvest index of naked lines did not differ significantly from that of conventional lines. The naked oat lines were characterized by fewer spikelets per panicle and more grains per spikelet compared with hulled lines. To achieve high grain yield and increase the competitive ability of naked oat, improvement in partitioning photosynthetic assimilates into grain is needed.