Oat

Article By:

Frey, Kenneth J. Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Simons, M. D. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Uebersax, Mark A. Department of Food Sciences and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Last reviewed:January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.463200

An agricultural cereal crop of the genus Avena grown for its grain and straw. Oats (Fig. 1) belong to the genus Avena in the family Poaceae (Gramineae) of the order Poales (Cyperales). The most important crop species is Avena sativa, known as the common oat, which is grown throughout the temperate zones of the world. The major oat-producing countries include Russia, Canada, Poland, Finland, Australia, and the United States. The crop is raised for grain in the major oat-growing states of the midwestern United States (Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), whereas it is used for pasture or a combination of pasture and grain in the southern states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia). About 90% of the annual oat grain production is used for animal feeds, and about 10% is processed into food (for example, oatmeal and other cereal products) for humans. See also: Animal feed; Cereal; Cyperales; Farm crops; Grain crops; Grass crops; Poales

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