Characterising Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in Producing Naked Oat As a Novel Crop for Northern Growing Conditions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SCIENCE Vol. 13 (2004): 212–228. Review article Characterising strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in producing naked oat as a novel crop for northern growing conditions Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Production Research, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland, e-mail: [email protected] Anna-Maija Kirkkari Work Efficiency Institute, PO Box 13, FIN-05201 Rajamäki, Finland Lauri Jauhiainen MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Data and Information Services, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland Naked oat (Avena sativa ssp. nuda L.) is the highest quality small-grain cereal that can be grown at the northernmost margin of cereal production. It remains an under-utilised crop and it contributes less than 0.1% to the total oat area in Finland. In general, limited interest in growing naked oat more extensively is attributed to its weaknesses, which ironically result from nakedness that improves the quality of the crop. This paper reviews the available literature and assesses the balance of the argu- ments for and against naked oats. Results from the study were transformed into quantitative variables and analysed for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) using an analytical hierar- chical process. As the importance of different SWOT-factors depends largely on targeted end-use of yield, separate analyses were done for use of naked oats as on-farm feed and as an input for the feed and food industry. If we aim at increasing area under naked oat in Finland, the most feasible starting point would be on-farm feed. In this case, strengths (high nutritional quality and energy content) out- weighed weaknesses (sensitivity to grain damage) and threats (problems in germination). Increasing naked oat production in this respect is likely to encourage solving the remaining problems that deter industry. Threats (availability) regarding the feed industry and weaknesses (incomplete expression of nakedness) in the food industry out-weighed strengths (high nutritional quality and storability) and opportunities (potential niches). Key words: breeding, cultivation, feeds, food, grain, harvesting, oats, quality, storage, yields © Agricultural and Food Science Manuscript received May 2003 212 AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SCIENCE Vol. 13 (2004): 212–228. the 17th century according to the earliest relia- Introducing reasons for ble archaeological excavations (Gerard 1597, ref. evaluating potential of Valentine 1995). Cultivation of naked oat has grown during the naked oat last decade and now occupies 4500–6000 hec- tares in UK with considerable increase in aver- age yield (Fig. 1b). There are also prospects for Oat (Avena sativa L.) grain is excellent in nutri- short-term, marked expansion in area under na- tional quality and has high metabolisable ener- ked oat in UK (Christopher Green, personal com- gy content compared with other small-grain ce- munication, 6 May 2003). There are no firm in- reals, but only when the palea and lemma, termed dications that naked oat has been cultivated in hulls, which surround the caryopsis are exclud- the past in Finland, at least not to a significant ed (Peltonen-Sainio et al. 2004a, b). Hull con- extent (Hannu Ahokas, personal communication, tent is a major reason for lack of interest in grow- 20 March 2003). At the end of the 20th century, ing and using oat in many countries where bar- the area under naked oat in Finland was only 400 ley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum hectares and in 2002 285 hectares (Anneli Par- aestivum L.) predominate (Burrows 1986). tala, personal communication, 30 April 2003). Hence, considerable plant breeding effort has This contributes 0.1% to the total oat acreage, been directed at reducing hull content and in- but indicates the potential for more comprehen- creasing groat content in conventional oat (Souza sive production of naked oat as oat is an estab- and Sorrells 1988, Forsberg and Reeves 1992). lished cereal crop. Despite significant progress having been made in lowering hull content (Rekunen 1988), the presence of hulls limits the attractiveness of oat as feed and food. This has, together with mech- anisation of agriculture and decrease in number Weighing strengths and of workhorses, resulted in a drastic reduction in oat production compared with barley and wheat weaknesses on the basis of (Fig. 1a). National Farm Policies may also have discouraged oat producers in many regions. available information There has been no marked and permanent up- turn in area under oat, although it appears to have Experience in cultivation stabilised. In light of this, the capacity of naked oat (A. sativa ssp. nuda) to dehull when fully Oat is grown extensively in Finland and Sweden matured represents an important advantage over in comparison with other important oat produc- conventional oat that is characterised by lignin- ing countries (Fig. 1a). For example, in 2002 rich, straw-like hulls (Valentine 1987, 1990) con- nearly 40% of the cereal area (barley, oat and trary to thin, papery and far less-lignified hulls wheat) in Finland was under oat. The figure was of naked oat (Ougham et al. 1996). nearly 30% for Sweden but less than 10% for Naked oat is not a novel crop in the strictest other countries including Canada, UK and USA. sense. It has a relatively long history in agricul- Experience in oat cultivation has accumulated ture, probably going back to 500 AD. It was do- over generations, creating in principle, an excel- mesticated in China and it is still today a com- lent starting point for introducing naked oat to mon crop in certain regions of that country (Hsun farmers. The readiness to take naked oat into and Maurice 1992). From China it spread to large-scale cultivation in Finland is a strength, Europe as a weed and was subsequently domes- especially as it does not require any additional ticated in England, in Norfolk and Suffolk, in investment in farms. 213 AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SCIENCE Peltonen-Sainio, P. et al. SWOT analyses of naked oat for northern growing conditions a Canada Finland Sweden UK USA 50 40 30 20 10 b 6 ) Proportion of area under oat (%) -1 5 4 3 Fig. 1. Trends in a) area under oat relative to that for other small- Grain yield (tn ha (tn Grain yield 2 grain cereals (barley, oat and wheat) and b) grain yield in Cana- 1 da, Finland, Sweden, United King- dom and USA since 1960s. Each point represents a five year run- 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 ning mean (source: http:// www.fao.org). Year Adaptation to northern growing hasten the development of oat. The double ridge stage is reached once two leaves have emerged, conditions and development of the panicle starts through Finland represents the northernmost margin for initiation of the first spikelet primordia (Pelto- large-scale cereal production. In general, oat nen-Sainio and Pekkala 1993, Peltonen-Sainio grows and yields well under these relatively cool 1994, 1999). This is also true for naked oat (Pel- conditions as there is adequate precipitation tonen-Sainio, unpublished data). Maturation of without long drought periods (Mukula and Ran- an oat stand requires accumulation of tempera- tanen 1989). Oat is often cultivated on lands not ture to about 1000˚C degree days, depending on deemed suitable for barley and wheat (Peltonen- earliness of the cultivar (5˚C as base tempera- Sainio 1999). This is particularly true with acid ture, Mukula and Rantanen 1987). When earli- soils typical of Finland (Mäkelä-Kurtto and Sip- ness of naked oat cultivars is similar to that of pola 2002), as oat is the only spring cereal well conventional cultivars released in Finland, there adapted to low soil pH. Long days in conjunc- are no expected risks related to grain matura- tion with relatively high temperatures soon after tion. However, sensitivity of naked oat grains to sowing during early growth stages in early May mechanical damage induced by high grain mois- 214 AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SCIENCE Vol. 13 (2004): 212–228. ture (Kirkkari et al. 2001, Peltonen-Sainio et al. nen-Sainio 1997b, Peltonen-Sainio et al. 1997). 2001a) is reduced by earliness. An alternative to Reduced seedling emergence in naked oat, how- reducing such risks is to grow naked oat, like ever, was not attributed to lower germination as wheat, only in the most southern regions of Fin- the number of seeds needed per square meter was land that are characterised by the longest grow- determined on the basis of grain weight and ger- ing season (Mukula and Rantanen 1987). Con- mination. Hence, it was concluded that naked oat trary to the recent trend of winter oat replacing grain was less vigorous and, to avoid formation spring oat in the UK (Semundo Ltd 1995), only of sparse plant stands, a 10% increase in seed- spring oat is likely to have a future in Finland. ing rate is needed to compensate for the reduced Winter oat does not have the ability to survive vigour (Peltonen-Sainio 1994). This was later under low temperatures and when covered by supported by the finding that naked oat seedlings snow for long periods – 110 to 130 days in the were less able to grow through 5 cm than through southwest and western coastal regions and 160 2 cm of sand in laboratory tests (Peltonen-Sai- days in central Finland (Mukula and Rantanen nio et al. 2001a). Recorded reduction in grain 1987). Thus, it can be concluded that spring-type vigour is, however, likely to result from smaller naked oat is well adapted to grow and yield un- grains with fewer carbohydrate reserves only in der northern growing conditions, which can be the case when more than two grains are produced regarded as a strength. per spikelet, as tertiary grains are known to be particularly small (Palagyi 1983).