Miss Angelia Tanu1, Dr. Allan Rattey2, Prof. Erik Veneklaas1, Dr Sarah Rich1,3, Dr Andrew Fletcher3
1UWA, Crawley, 2Intergrain, Bibra Lake, 3CSIRO, Floreat,
Biography:
Angelia is an international student from Indonesia, currently studying a Master’s degree in Agricultural Science at University of Western Australia (UWA). Her Master thesis involves studying the growth of oats in deep sowing conditions, which is funded by the Processed Oat Partnership (POP) program through InterGrain and in collaboration with UWA and CSIRO.
Abstract:
Early sowing has revolutionized Australian winter grain cropping by increasing germination rates and yields, while mitigating risks. However, this strategy relies on sufficient soil moisture, typically found at depth.
Oats are the only winter-cereal with a mesocotyl, an organ between the seed and coleoptile, facilitating emergence from deep sowing. With higher frost tolerance and early vigour compared to wheat and barley, oats offer a strong system fit for early and deep sowing.
Our project aimed to screen genetic sources of total mesocotyl and coleoptile length (TL) in oats, providing breeders with trait value information for further genetic development. Then, using a subset of these lines, we aimed to validate the effect of TL on emergence in the field. We hypothesized that TL in oats, determined under standard conditions, would be proportional to the ability of oats to emerge from deeper depths.
Screening tests revealed significant differences in TL across oat varieties (218 varieties), all displaying long TLs, ranging from 102 to 219.4 mm. Field trials in 2023 compared shallow (40 mm) and deep (120 mm) sowing for oats, wheat, and barley varieties. Oats exhibited higher deep-to-shallow emergence ratios due to their longer TL. For instance, Mitika and Kultarr varieties showed emergence ratios of 0.84 and 0.80, respectively. Oats also maintained similar or greater yields when deeply sown.
Because of their long-combined coleoptile and mesocotyl length, oats are an excellent winter cereal choice when sown early and deeply. Farmers will profit economically due to increased emergence rates, greater biomass, and frost resistance.