List of Tables

1

List of Figures

3

Executive Summary

6

Acknowledgments

8

Chapter 1

The Importance of Oats

9

Chapter 2

Australian Oat Varieties And A Germplasm
Inventory For Breeding

37

Chapter 3

The Isolection Plant Breeding System

62

Chapter 4

Breeding Oats For Irrigation In Australia

104

Chapter 5

The Influence Of Environment

On Oat Grain Quality

115

Chapter 6

Plant Breeding Methods And Technologies
For Increasing Oat Crop Yields

124

Glossary

137

Appendix A

Australian Oat Statistics

150

Appendix B

Plots From A Heavy Grazing Trial

154

Table 1.1

Chemical composition of oats

10

Table 1.2

Comparative feed grain values of oats, barley, wheat and maize

11

Table 1.3

Percentages of nutritive values in oats, barley, wheat and maize

16

Table 1.4

Species of Avena genus, the 3 karyotypes and their genomes

18

Table 1.5

World population densities

22

Table 1.6

Food production and population growth

23

Table 1.7

Changes in total grain yields and reduction in total crop growing area

24

Table 1.8

Annual rate of change (%) of increase in production of farm products

25

Table 1.9

World land utilisation

27

Table 1.10

Oat yields, growing days, population density and agricultural policy

28

Table 1.11

Stocking capacity of oats compared with other pastures

29

Table 2.1

Effect of grazing oats twice, versus no grazing, on grain yield of various cultivars

39

Table 2.2

Summer rainfall germplasm

47

Table 2.3

Uniform rainfall germplasm

49

Table 2.4

Winter rainfall cultivars

50

Table 2.5

Crosses combining rust resistance with agronomic value

51

Table 2.6

Segregation in landraces for juvenile growth habit, Glen Innes 1958

51

Table 2.7

Resistances for various environments

52

Table 2.8

Origin and description of genotypes developed from the High-vigour cross, 28 X 23

53

Table 3.1

Rapid method of breeding oats for large biomass yields

64

Table 3.2

Morphology and pathology of parents of the High-vigour cross

65

Table 3.3

The effect of grazing intensity on a range of cereal genotypes sown late March in a cool, moist, summer rainfall climate: F₆ generation trial of High-vigour lines (1962)

69

Table 3.4

The effect of grazing intensity on a range of cereal genotypes sown in early March in a cool, moist summer rainfall climate: F₇ generation trial of High-vigour bulk oats (1963) at Glen Innes

70

Table 3.5

Second testing of High-vigour bulk oats in north-west NSW, contrasting cooler elevated site (Tamworth) with warmer plains site (Narrabri):

F₅ generation trial (1961)

76

Table 3.6

A comparison of southern and northern NSW bred cultivars under intensive grazing and hay recovery: F₁₀ generation testing of

High-vigour lines at Richmond (1966)

77

Table 3.7

Heavy (4 P cuts) and lenient (2 P cuts) grazing and grain recovery (pG) at Cowra: F₁₀ generation testing of the High-vigour lines (1966)

83

Table 3.8

Lenient grazing and grain trial: F₁₇ generation testing of High-vigour bulk oats

84

Table 3.9

Effect of multiple grazing cuts on grain and pasture yields on a range of oat cultivars

85

Table 3.10

Grain and pasture yields from 1955 competing crop trials

86

Table 3.11

Effect of a single grazing, grain recovery, total yield and grain protein (%) on a range of oat cultivars

89

Table 3.12

Effect of two grazing cuts on grain recovery and pasture yields on a range of oat cultivars

90

Table 3.13

Dry matter of pasture and grain recovery trial, Gunning, NSW (1999)

91

Table 3.14

Grain yields from a competing cereal crop trial conducted in

New England

91

Table 3.15

A continuous grazing (P) and grain recovery (pG) trial in Central NSW; F₃₄ generation testing of High-vigour varities (1990) at Blayney

92

Table 3.16

Effect of two grazing cuts and grain recovery (Site 1) and grain only (Site 2) on a range of oat cultivars

94

Table 4.1

NSW cereal crop yields under dryland and irrigation (t/ha)

105

Table 4.2

Comparisons of early and late maturing cultivars under Irrigation in the Riverina for a 10 year period for grain only (G), and grain recovery (pG) (1963-1973)

109

Table 4.3

Comparisons of grain only (G) yields and grain recovery (pG) in the Dryland Riverina for a 10 year period (1963-1973)

110

Table 4.4

Year 24 of testing Blackbutt oats under irrigation versus dryland (1985): F₂₉ generation trial

111

Table 5.1

Grain quality, as groat (gt %), of Australian cultivars and accession lines

117

Table 5.2

Oat grain quality, as weight in grams of 1000 seeds (groat + hull) and as groat %, of cultivars at four sites in Northern NSW

118

Table 5.3

Grain quality of mainly High-vigour oats (Cross C and Cross A,

28 x 23), F₇ generation testing

119

Table 6.1

Isolection-bred versus conventionally-bred oat varieties

(Richmond, NSW)

130

Table 6.2

Isolection-bred versus conventionally-bred oat varieties

(Southern Highlands NSW)

131

Table 6.3

Yield ratios of Isolection-bred to conventionally-bred oat variety (Cooba) across climatic zones from statistically analysed trials over a 29 year period

132

Table 6.4

Comparing features of GM crops with conventional crops

134

Figure 1.1

Statistical yields of the major cereals grown in NSW

32

Figure 2.1

Straw strength of various lines and cultivars. Fulghum (F) showing lodging; weak strawed Belar; strong strawed Garry, VRBke.F (W4598); strong strawed Fulmark

42

Figure 2.2

Climatic regions of Australia

45

Figure 2.3

A transect of NSW showing the Northern, Central and Southern regions in NSW approximating summer rainfall, uniform rainfall and winter rainfall zones, respectively

46

Figure 2.4

BLACKBUTT variety with medium panicle shape and light brown grains: the longest grazing season cultivar of Australian winter cereals. Photograph is from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983)

47

Figure 2.5

COOLABAH is an early grazing and grain variety with medium panicle shape and cream coloured grains. It is too frost susceptible for the summer rainfall germplasm list. Photo is from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983)

49

Figure 2.6

ORIENT is an erect early midseason variety for grain only, with medium to open panicle and dark brown grains. It is too frost susceptible for the summer rainfall germplasm list. Photograph from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983)

50

Figure 2.7

ALGERIAN variety with open panicle and mid-brown grains from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983). Table 6.5 shows that both Algerian and Fulghum were segregating for juvenile habit of growth in the 1958 F₂ summer rust nursery, confirming Coffman’s claim that the related varieties of Red Rustproof and Kanota in the USA could not be fixed

51

Figure 2.8

COOBA is a mid-season grazing and grain variety with open panicle and mid brown grains from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983). Cooba is inferior to Blackbutt and Carbeen for grazing and frost resistance in the summer rainfall zone

52

Figure 2.9

CARBEEN variety with condensed panicle shape and medium brown grains. A mid-season variety with prostrate early habit of growth, the most adaptable to the 3 rainfall zones. Photograph from Australian Oat Varieties by R.W. Fitzsimmons et al. CSIRO (1983)

53

Figure 2.10

FULGHUM spiklets and florets from Oat Identification and Classification by T.R. Stanton (1955) US Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin No. 1100. Fulghum is a semi-winter type and appears to be of hybrid origin, with many traits intermediate between the northern common oats, A. sativa, and the southern red oats,

A. byzantina, as judged by observers in the US

54

Figure 2.11

FLORET SEPARATION distinguishes the 2 types of cultivated oats which are Avena sativa, separating by distal fracture, and A.byzantina, usually separating by basal fracture. Photograph from F.A. Coffman, Inheritance of Morphological Characters in Avena, Technical Bulletin No. 1308, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture

54

Figure 2.12

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OAT PLANT, showing panicle and spikelet, main rachis and panicle branches; rachilla and basal hairs of mature grain; spikelet showing pedicel, glumes, rachilla, primary grain and secondary grain and awn on the primary grain; culm nodes and nodal hairs and leaf margins and leaf sheaths, both hairy and glabrous. From Anonymous (1962)

55

Figure 2.13

The Author assessing mature oat crop stands. Avon x VRFB;

Garry x VRBke (2056) and Fulghum (see summer rainfall germplasm inventory)

56

Figure 2.14

Mature oat crop stands. The Author with a tall strong strawed line; Avon (see the uniform rainfall germplasm inventory) and taller W4477

57

Figure 3.1

Results of heavy grazing by sheep; The pasture cut technique using manual shears at Glen Innes, NSW

74

Figure 3.2

Tall strong straw of Fulghum (F) x Garry (Ga) (F.Ga or W4595), typical of the F.Ga cross; Close up of the panicles of F.Ga, the female parent of the High-vigour cross

75

Figure 3.3

Non-stress growing environment. A plastic covered frame for establishing rust infected plants, transplanted from the subtropical station at Grafton, and designed to spread rust and determine rust resistant plants; Inspection of individual oat plants

78

Figure 3.4

Non-stress growing environment Fulghum x Garry (female parent of the High-vigour cross showing) showing its strong straw; Wide spacing of individual oat plants

79

Figure 3.5

Crossing of a rust resistant line, of oat, 0600 and VRAF (W4890)

80

Figure 3.6

A typical Western Australian bred cultivar, Swan, showing poor dry matter recovery under a 5 grazing cut regime at Temora, New South Wales, 1969, in comparison with moderately frost-hardy Cooba and very frost-hardy P4315

82

Figure 3.7

The Author shows greater damage to Algerian from a combination of frost and grazing pressure than that to Klein 69B the Argentine oat, which showed excellent frost resistance and grazing recovery almost equal to Blackbutt. Further images of the grazed plots at Hawkesbury Agricultural College trials in Richmond NSW

in 1966, are presented in Appendix B

95

Figure 3.8

A comparison of the five selections from the High-vigour cross for total biomass yield (P + pH) with conventionally bred cultivars at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, NSW (1966)

96

Figure 3.9

A comparison of a standard cultivar, Algerian, with five selections from the High-vigour cross, with 5 separate pasture cuts at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, NSW (1966).

The extent of the grazing is shown in individual plots within the trial presented in Appendix B

97

Figure 3.10

The Author at Temora Agricultural Research Station taking notes near seed increase blocks. Blackbutt oats is the hardiest of the High-vigour oats, combining high yields with frost resistance (Top); Mugga, also bred by the Author before his High-vigour cross, is the hardiest of the oats tested in Glen Innes NSW, with equivalent hardiness to winter wheat (Centre). P4315, like Blackbutt, was also from the same High-vigour cross (Bottom).

98

Figure 4.1

A diagrammatic comparison of eight cultivars under irrigation

(grain only) and cool dryland (grain recovery) in t/ha (Colleambally, NSW in 1985)

112

Figure 5.1

Grain shape and sizes of the parents of the High-vigour cross

120

Figure 5.2

Grain shape and sizes of the High-vigour varieties and lines (Blackbutt, Carbeen and P4315) alongside conventionally bred cultivars

121