Oats

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Oats (lat. Avena) - a genus of herbaceous cereal plants, which is part of the Bluegrass family (lat. Poaceae), or Cereals (lat. Graminaceae). Most wild oats are weeds. They do not so much yield oat grains as they interfere with the successful growth of other cereals, including wheat. However, there are several species among them that have been cultivated by man since ancient times, giving him nutritious grains, dishes from which are well absorbed by the human body, filling it with energy and vitality.

Description

The fibrous root of an annual plant appears on the surface of the earth with a stem from 0.5 to 1.7 meters high. The herbaceous stem of plants of the genus Oats is called "straw" by botanists. The diameter of a hollow straw-stem varies from 0.3 to 0.6 centimeters. For the strength of the stem, nature has provided the hollow straw with stronger knots, which can be from two to four along the entire length.

Vaginal leaves of a linear shape with sharp tips and a rough surface are arranged on the stem in turn, gently embracing the stem. Leaves, the length of which, depending on living conditions, can be from 0.2 to 0.45 meters, are painted green or bluish. The leaves are eaten with pleasure by pets.

Small flowers form spikelets consisting of two to three flowers. Spikelets, in turn, are collected in panicle inflorescences, sprawling, erect, or one-sided. Flowering lasts throughout the summer months. The awns (sharp thorns) characteristic of cereal plants are sometimes present in the lower flowers, but more often all flowers are devoid of protective awns. For protection, the flowers have scales that cover them, the length of which is longer than the length of the flower.

The growing season ends with fruits called "caryopsis". It was for the sake of this grain that man began to grow Oats, transferring the plant from the list of weeds to the list of grain crops, along with wheat, for which Oats were once considered a weed.

Cultivated varieties of oats

* "Avena sativa" (Sowing oats) - in ancient times, this type of oats was grown by the German people for the amusement of the rest of the Europeans, who fed their horses with oats. But later, people figured out the beneficial qualities of oat grains and began to actively grow oats on their agricultural land. Moreover, this culture is very unpretentious to living conditions and cold-resistant, which was a very valuable quality in a climate with cold winters.

* "Avena abyssinica" (Ethiopian oat) - this species is grown as a crop in Ethiopia, some other African countries, as well as in the Middle East (Yemen, Saudi Arabia).

* "Avena byzantina" (Byzantine oats) - a species grown in small quantities in Spain, Greece, the Middle East, India, New Zealand and South America.

* "Avena nuda" (Naked oats) - in terms of its qualitative composition, this species is ahead of “Avena sativa”, but until recently it was not widely demanded by producers. Today its popularity is growing. He is especially fond of people who do not resort to chemicals, but grow crops using organic methods of working on the ground.

* "Avena strigosa" (Grooved oats) - a forage species grown in several countries of Western Europe, as well as in South America (in Brazil).

Many species of Oats grow in the wild, for which there is a single name"

Wild oats . They also produce caryopses, but they have very low fertility, which makes it senseless to cultivate them. Therefore, they are classified as weeds and are manually removed from the fields, since chemical weed control agents are inappropriate in such cases. After all, then not only the weeds will die, but also the crops grown.

Usage

Oats are widely used by humans. It is feed for livestock, and a healing remedy for many diseases, and a healer of the emaciated or burnt earth.

Oat grains are a valuable food product for children and adults, for healthy and sick people, for ordinary people and athletes.