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CROP BREEDING & GENETICS

Kernel Size Variation in Naked Oat

^a USDA-ARS Hard Red Spring and Durum Wheat Quality Laboratory, Harris Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA
^b Department of Plant Sciences, Loftsgard Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA
^c Agronomy Department, Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011-1010, USA

^* Corresponding author (douglas.doehlert{at}ndsu.edu)

Kernel size in naked oat (Avena sativa L.) is of interest because of the importance of groat size in determining flake size in "old fashioned" style oat flakes. Here we compared naked oat kernel size distributions with those of hulled oat (Avena sativa L.). Most hulled oat spikelets have two kernels, where the primary kernel is distinctly larger than the secondary kernel. Although naked oat panicle architecture was similar to that of hulled oat, naked oat had a distinctive multiflorous spikelet architecture that contained from one to six kernels. Because single and double-kernel spikelets were most abundant in naked oat, the mean kernel number per spikelet did not differ between hulled oat and most naked genotypes. Like hulled oat, naked oat kernel size decreased with increasing kernel order. All hulled oat and most naked genotypes had size distributions departing from normality, but some naked genotypes had normal kernel size distributions. Variances of naked oat kernel size were much smaller than those of hulled genotypes, indicating a greater degree of kernel sizes uniformity in naked genotypes. However, the increased variation in the hulled oat kernel size appeared to be due to the presence of the hull and hulled oat groats had about the same size variation as did naked oat groats.