This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com Oat History, Identification and Classification By Franklin A. Coffman Formerly principal research agronomist Technical Bulletin No. 1516 This publication is a revision of and supersedes^fefhnical Bulle tin No. 1100, "Oat Identification and Classificau Stanton. Agricultural Research Service UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Washington, D.C. Issued February 1 1977 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 The classification of oats 3 History 3 Previous classification 4 The species of Avena 6 The minor species of Avena 7 Hexaploid Avena species 12 Key to species, subspecies, and varieties of hexaploid Avena 14 Avena sterilis, progenitor type of hexaploids 28 The oat plant 30 Morphologic characters 31 History of oats in North America 55 Influence of Moors on Spain and America 56 Spanish oats in Southeastern United States 56 Oats in South Central United States 56 Oats in Texas 57 Oats in Southwestern United States 57 Important progenitor varieties 59 A second source of winter oats 61 English oats in spring-sown oat areas 62 Oats introduced into Canada 63 Important progenitor spring oats introduced into the United States 63 Oat crossing begins in America 68 Oat "rust tester" varieties 71 Varietal registration in the United States 77 Oat production areas of the United States 80 Fall-sown oats in the United States 81 Registered by the American Society of Agronomy 107 Not registered by the American Society of Agronomy 143 Spring-sown common oat varieties in the United States __ 174 Spring-sown "tree panicle" oats 175 Registered by the American Society of Agronomy 216 Not registered by the American Society of Agronomy 292 Spring-sown side oat varieties in the United States 326 Spring-sown hull-less or naked oat varieties in the United States 331 Oat germ plasm varieties 335 Literature cited 339 Index to species and varieties 352 ii Oat History, Identification and Classification By FRANKLIN A. COFFMAN,' formerly principal research agronomist, Agricul tural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture INTRODUCTION Oat culture in North America extends from Alaska southward well into Mexico. Such a wide geographic distribution is possible only because of the diversity in morphological and ecological types of oats available. Varietal types grown in a region are determined primarily by the climate that prevails in that region and by the ecological characteristics of the varieties. Because of the rapid changes in disease prevalence in America, the change in oat varieties grown has been rapid. A variety may be grown on large acreages one year and be dropped almost completely 2 or 3 years later because it is susceptible to some diseases. The first comprehensive classification of oat varieties in Amer ica was published by Etheridge (1916), and the second by Stanton (1955).2 General descriptions of many older and recent released varieties that have been registered by the American Society of Agronomy are available in the Agronomy Journal, in its predeces sor, The Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, and in Crop Science. Descriptions of Canadian oats are available in looseleaf form in the Handbook of Canadian Cereal Varieties of Barley, Field Beans, Flax, Oats, Spring Wheat, and Winter Wheat. My interest and observation of oats started in 1917 and close scrutiny of morphological characters of oats dates back to 1919, with a study on variability in the oat variety Burt conducted at Akron, Colo., and Manhattan, Kans. This study was continued in 1920 and 1921 in cooperation with others, and results published in 1925 (Coffman, Parker, and Quisenberry 1925). A similar study of variability in the Kherson oat was conducted at Akron, Colo., 1921-23, and results were also published in 1925 (Coffman and Stanton 1925). On January 1, 1924, I transferred from Colorado to Washington, D.C., to assist T. R. Stanton with Oat Project Investigations. In 1935, under the direction of Dr. Stanton, work on oat classification 1 Retired. 2 Year in italics after author's name indicates reference in Literature Cited, p. 339. 1 2 TECHNICAL BULLETIN 1516, U.S. DEPT. OF AGR. started at the Aberdeen Substation, Aberdeen, Idaho, and else where. These studies continued from 1935 to 1940. World War II drastically reduced travel funds for Department personnel, and the study of oat classification at Aberdeen was suspended. In 1955 Dr. Stanton's publication, "Oat Identification and Classification," U.S. Dept. Agr., Technical Bulletin 1100, was published. Because of the restrictions on travel during World War II and later, this publication includes practically no oat varieties released in the United States after 1940-41. Realizing that many oat varieties had been released during the long period from 1941 to 1955, Dr. H. C. Murphy, Stanton's successor as leader of the Department's Oat Investigations, sug gested that I renew efforts in oat classification. The work reported here includes information on varieties released through 1972. After 1955, Dr. H. C. Murphy (deceased) and Dr. L. W. Briggle, who succeeded him as leader of Oat Investigations, assisted in outlining and conducting the studies with oat classification; Har- land Stevens and Frank Petr of the Aberdeen Substation, Aber deen, Idaho, Dr. J. C. Craddock, Wendel Headley, William Becker (deceased), and Roger T. Smith, all of the then Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md., and many others at the State experiment stations are all gratefully acknowledged for their assistance in preparing the manuscript for publication. In 1972 the Plant Indus try Station's name was changed to Beltsville Agricultural Re search Center- West (BARC-W). Since 1962, oat varieties have been grown at the Aberdeen, Idaho Experiment Station and at the then Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md., and morphological descriptions assembled from information obtained on oat plants grown at these two locations. Comparatively few agronomists realize that although Stanton's classification report was published in 1955, his "cutoff date for varieties included was 1940-41, almost 15 years before publication. This oat classification publication presents information and de scriptions of those oat varieties released in the United States from 1940-41 through 1972. In addition, several older varieties released before that period are also included. In the past 30 years, many new oat varieties have become available in North America. Because many of these varieties are similar, their morphological characters must be described and they must be classified. Today, practically all oats released to growers are hybrids. Many were not selected over a sufficiently long time to become genetically homozygous for all morphological characters before release. Thus, accurate identification is sometimes difficult. OAT HISTORY 3 THE CLASSIFICATION OF OATS History The morphologic study of oats is not new. According to Malzew (1930), the first person to describe oats was Tournefort who in 1700 established the genus Avena. Later Linnaeus (1753) described four oat species: Avena sterilis, A. fatua, A. sativa, and A. nuda. Linnaeus classified oats as wild or cultivated, and among the cultivated oats he differentiated only the covered from the naked. A knowledge of the derivation and meaning of the Latin names given the different species by Linnaeus helps in understanding their classifications. The word Avena to denote oats was appar ently used by the Latin countries long before either Tournefort or Linnaeus. As stated by Denaiffe and Sirodot (1901): The derivation of the Latin word Avena remains somewhat obscure. It seems probable that it is from the Latin word Aveo (to desire), that is to say, forage desired by all animals. The syllable Av in its composition is found in a number of languages. The syllable se is found in Sanskrit in the sense to supply food. Ava nourishment, Avasa pasturage, a word assumed to be equivalent to the Russian word Ovesu, the Polish Oweis, the Rumanian word Ovesia and the Serbian word Ovas. Thus, it is clear that oats were first used as a pasturage or forage crop in southern Europe long before they were grown for grain. Malzew (1930) indicated that the word sterilis probably was used because the seed of that species often drops off during the yellow ripe stage. He mentioned that in several classics, weed oats go by such names as A. vanus, and A. sterilis. So far as we can determine, the word fatua was first used by Linnaeus. Its apparent meaning is, in general, similar to that of the word fatuous, meaning false, meaningless, or without worth or value. Consequently, it is descriptive in the same way as is sterilis. The word nuda is as readily understood in English as it is in Latin; it means naked or without covering. The dictionary (G. and C. Merriam Co. 193 4) defines sativa as follows: "Sativa (sativ) adj. [L. sativus fr. serere, satum to sow ] sown; cultivated, Obs." Hence, the names Linnaeus used to de scribe species become clear. He included the entire polymorphic group of covered cultivated oats in a single "sativa" group, without further distinction. Although A. nuda is also a cultivated oat, Linnaeus designated it as a separate species, thus ranking it equally with A. sterilis, A. fatua, and A. sativa. Etheridge (1916) states, "The review and discussion of the work 4 TECHNICAL BULLETIN 1516, U.S. DEPT. OF AGR. of others has shown that a classification of varieties of oats, in order to be effective, must be based on the morphology of the plant." The dictionary (Webster's Second 1934) indicates morphology is: The branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of plants: the science of structural organic types: the study of the forms, rela tions, metamorphosis, and phytogenetic development of organs apart from their functions.