Oats are an important grain crop. Farmers grow them mainly to feed livestock, but oats also provide nourishing food for many people. The seeds of oat plants are processed and used in such foods as oatmeal, oatcakes, cookies, and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.
Oats are a cereal grain and belong to the same family of plants as wheat, rice, corn, and barley. Oats have a higher food value than any other cereal grain. They are rich in starch and high-quality protein, and they provide a good source of Vitamin B1. Some nutritionists believe that the addition of oat bran (the seed covering of oats) to the diet helps reduce cholesterol.
Most of the oats grown in the United States are used as feed for livestock. Oats are the best grain to feed horses. Many farmers use the straw from oats as bedding for their livestock.
Canada and Russia are the leading oat-growing countries. Other leading countries include Australia, Poland, and Spain. The world’s annual production of oats totals about 27 million tons (25 million metric tons).
The oat plant
has a stem that grows from 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 centimeters) high. The stem ends in a head called a panicle, which consists of many small branches. Each branch ends in a single spikelet (flower cluster). The majority of oat plants have from 40 to 50 spikelets. Most spikelets contain two seeds, each enclosed by a husk called the hull. The hull must be removed before the seeds can be processed into oatmeal or other food products. The oat seed, called a groat, is usually the same color as the hull. Different varieties of oat seeds may be white, yellow, red, gray, or black.
The chief kinds of cultivated oats include common oats, red oats, side oats, and hull-less oats. Common oats are the type most widely grown in the United States. Red oats have reddish seeds. Side oats have all their branches on one side of the stalk. Hull-less oats, unlike the other types, have loose husks that separate from the seeds during harvesting.
Growing oats.
Oats can be grown in a variety of climates and soils. But they grow especially well in areas that have a cool, moist climate and fertile soil. Farmers may add fertilizer to poor soil to increase the yield.
Farmers grow two types of oats, spring oats and winter oats. Spring oats are planted in early spring and harvested in summer. The date of planting and harvesting depends on the climate of the area. Winter oats are planted in fall and harvested the next summer. They start growing before the weather turns cold. Growth stops in the winter and begins again in spring. Winter oats are not as hardy as other winter grains, and so they are grown chiefly in areas with mild winters.
Oats are planted either by simply scattering the seeds over the field or by sowing the seeds with a grain drill. This machine drops the seeds into furrows and covers them with soil. The seeds are planted in rows about 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 centimeters) apart and covered with about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of soil. Most farmers use sowing rates of 60 to 90 pounds per acre (65 to 100 kilograms per hectare) of land.
Harvesting oats.
Oats are harvested after the plants become dry and yellow and the seeds harden. The grain should not contain more than 12 to 14 percent moisture when harvested. Farmers can take samples of the seed to a grain elevator for a moisture test.
Some oats are grown for hay or silage. Silage consists of chopped plant stalks, which are stored in a silo and used to feed livestock during the winter. Oats grown for hay or silage are harvested while the plants are still green and the seeds are soft.
Most farmers harvest oats with a machine called a combine, which cuts the stalks and separates the grain from the chaff (stiff, strawlike bits surrounding the grain). Before oat grain is made into human food products, the hulls are removed from the seeds at processing plants. Hulls are not removed from grain used as livestock feed. The average yield of oats in the world is about 2,230 pounds per acre (2,500 kilograms per hectare). The United States average is about 2,050 pounds per acre (2,300 kilograms per hectare).
Diseases and insect pests.
Various diseases sometimes attack oats and sharply reduce the yield. They include smuts, rusts, septoria, and barley yellow dwarf. Oat crops can also be damaged by such insects as aphids, armyworms, cutworms, cereal leaf beetles, and grasshoppers. Aphids are especially troublesome because they spread the barley yellow dwarf disease.
Some farmers use chemical sprays to control diseases and insects. But the best protection comes from planting resistant varieties of oats. Researchers continually develop new varieties that are more resistant to diseases and insects. The new varieties also produce higher yields and better grain. See Aphid; Armyworm; Cutworm; Rust; Smut.
