Agriculture & Food ISSN 1314-8591, Volume 3, 2015 Journal of International Scientific Publications www.scientific-publications.net YIELD AND ITS QUALITY PARAMETERS OF OAT CULTIVARS GROWN IN LATVIA Linda Brunava, Ina Alsiņa, Solveiga Maļecka State Stende Cereals Breeding Institute, Dižzemes, Lībagi parish, Talsi County, Latvia, LV-3285 Latvia University of Agriculture, 2 Liela Street, Jelgava, Latvia, LV-3001 Abstract Oat (Avena sativa L.) is well known as a healthy food in the world, because of its unique biochemical structure. The aim of this study was evaluate 19 different husked oat cultivars by yield and quality parameters in three vegetation seasons. The obtained results showed significant differences among oat cultivars and growing season in all tested parameters, for example average yield in 2012 was 4.99 t ha-1, in 2013 – 5.81 t ha-1 and in 2014 – 7.74 t ha-1. Higher yielding ability showed foreign cultivars, but with better quality characterized Latvian breed cultivars. Key words: oat, yield, protein, lipids, β-glucan 1. INTRODUCTION Avena sativa (Linnaeus, 1753) or common oat is one of the cereal crops cultivated in temperate climate zones and distinct among the cereals due to its multifunctional characteristics and nutritional profile. It is used for animal as well as for human nutrition, but mostly 70% of produced oat yield is used for animal feed, however in total demand for oat has considerably decreased. In Latvia oat sown areas takes approximately 10.7% from all cereal occupied territories. The total demand for oat in the world has decreased, because of the comparatively low yields – 2.1 t ha -1 , while winter wheat achieves 4.2 t ha -1 in Latvia in 2013. It makes farmers to choose for good high yielding cereal crops for making business. At the first oat was used for medicine purposes 2000 BC in Egypt. Oat is a nutritious source of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, vitamins and minerals. And currently discussion on oat grain dietetic value and suitability to the production of functional food is more frequently mentioned in scientific literature (Biel et al., 2009). With the development of the techniques of intensive management over crop production demands to oat varieties have changed considerably. Oat breeders through hybridization and selection have improved yielding ability potential of oat varieties. Nowadays common oat can be as a raw material of functional food because of its biochemical composition of grain: protein, lipids, β-glucan, starch amount in grain (Wood, 1997). Grain yield, test weight and 1000 kernel weight are the most important economic traits mentioned by the oat consumers, because the end-product outcome is due to these traits (Sadiq Butt et al., 2008). Protein is the most important nutrient for humans and animals as well. The average protein content of small cereal grains covers a relatively narrow range (8 – 11 %) variations, however, are quite noticeable. The main part (approximately 40%) of kernel structural component is starch. Because of its unique properties, starch is important for the textural properties of many foods, in particular bread and other baked goods. It is located only in endosperm and is present in granular form. Oat contains relatively high amounts of lipids (approximately from 7 %) compared to other cereal grains (Sadiq Butt et al., 2008).Among the main compounds associated with health-promoting effects in cereals is dietary fiber that is found only in plant foods. It consists of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Both types are important for health in different ways (Manthey et al., 1999). Water-soluble fiber in cereals is composed of non-starchy polysaccharides such as β-glucan. Some of the oat constituents are valuable as ingredients or starting materials for several types of products (Brindzova et al., 2008). β-glucan is included in the soluble dietary fiber fractions of oat that participates in the glucoregulation and causes a decrease in serum cholesterol levels in humans (Wood, 2007). Comparing to other cereals, oat as well as barley endosperms have relatively higher β-glucan contents compare with other cereals (Queenan et al., 2007). The aim of this study was to characterize the yielding and quality abilities of foreign and native husked oat cultivars grown in Latvia from 2012 till 2014. Page 82