Grain quality and status of oats (Avena sativa L.) during storage

The purpose of this study has been to determine the effect of storage on grain quality of three oat cultivars selected in Serbia - Dunav, Vrbas and NS Tara. Freshly harvested oats were stored at the temperature of 25?2?C for 12 and 20 months. There was a significant decrease in the volume mass (458.4 to 408.9 kg/m-3) and the absolute mass of grains (26.6 to 24.2%) during the storage. The germination potential of the grains decreased over time (96.2-94.1%). The changes in the acid degree values (3.77-3.99 ml 1(Na OH/100 g) are highly significant (p<0.01). Initially, the pH level of the fresh samples was 6.2, and it decreased to 5.8 after 20 months. Genotypes and volume mass have great effect on storage duration (?2=0.8130 ?2 =0.7621 and ?2=0.6780). The interaction between the studied factors did not show statistically significant effects on the change in germination of oat grains (p>0.05). What mostly affects an increase in the acid degree value of oat grains is storage duration, followed by a genotype and the interaction between these two factors. The studied oat genotypes show no significant differences in glassiness (p>0.05).