John Valentine, Alexander (Sandy) A. Cowan, and Athole H. Marshall, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, United Kingdom
OATS: Chemistry and Technology, Second Edition
Pages 11-30
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/9781891127649.002
ISBN: 978-1-891127-64-9
Abstract
Plant breeding has enormous power to change the potential of a crop and to produce new outcomes and scenarios. In the past, much effort was devoted to enhancing grain yield and improving agronomic characteristics and resistance to diseases, but, increasingly, breeders have the opportunity to alter chemical and technological qualities to meet new demands.
Oats belong to a tribe (Aveneae) separate from the tribes of other small-grained cereals such as wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (Triticeae) and rice (Oryzeae). This accounts for many of their unusual properties, such as high β-glucans, high oil, and unique antioxidants.
In this chapter, oat breeding is discussed under three main headings: genetic resources, breeding objectives, and breeding methods. While this is convenient, it should be remembered that the three areas are, in reality, inextricably linked. In a final section, the need for continued funding of future oat breeding and thoughts on how this funding can be derived are considered.
