Influence of Variety and Nitrogen Fertilization on the Technological Parameters of Special Malts Prepared from Naked and Hulled Oat Varieties

Grains of four naked oat varieties (Amant, Maczo, Polar and Siwek) and one hulled oat variety (Kozak) from three consecutive years (2018, 2019 and 2020), grown under three different nitrogen fertilization regimes (40, 60 and 80 kg of nitrogen per hectare) were malted and then mashed in the laboratory conditions for the first time; this was carried out to determine whether hulled and naked oat grains possess favourable properties as a raw material for the production of malt. Most of the analysed samples possess a favourable Kolbach index (39.06–46.82%), good extractivity (81.07–81.97%) and rather good saccharification time (13.33–26.67 min); however, some disadvantages of the produced malts could be pointed out. During the congress mashing, the filtration time of the worts produced from the hulled and naked oat malts was long (96.67–110 min) and the wort volume was not satisfactory (155–228.53 mL). Subsequent studies over oat malting and mashing need to be performed to maximize oat potential as the raw material for the production of the malt.

Screening of oat cultivars developed in omsk for conditions of the southern foreststeppe in Western Siberia

Spring oats are one of the most important crops among grain crops, and they are well adapted to the conditions of Western Siberia. To realize qualitative and quantitative characteristics of yield and increase productivity, new varieties should be characterized by responsiveness to changing environmental factors (adaptability) with sufficient potential productivity and ability to realize it even in the stressful conditions of this region. The aim of the research was to determine adaptive properties of spring oat cultivars developed in Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center. The experiments were carried out on the experimental fields of the Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center, located in the southern forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia, in 2011-2019. The st following adaptability parameters were calculated: stress tolerance Kst (according to A.V. Bykov), homeostaticity Hom (V.V. Khangildin), breeding value of cultivar Sc (according to N.A. Orlyansky), genotypic effect Ɛi (B.P. Guriev), coefficient of variation V and coefficient of uniformity B (B.A. Dospekhov), resilience of stability index У (R.A. Udachin and P.A. Golovchenko), rate of reaction of varieties to the environmental conditions Re (V.V. Novokhatin), equivalent plasticity Wi (C. Wricke). Using a significant number of indicators to obtain a final assessment of adaptability, a ranking of cultivars was carried out. Among hulled oat cultivars, Orion (control), Irtysh 13 and Irtysh 21 had increased adaptability (the sum of the ranks was 23, 35 and 36, respectively). In naked oat cultivars, Progress was more stable (the sum of the ranks was 79). These cultivars are recommended for cultivation in conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia.

Resistance of oat breeding lines to grain contamination with Fusarium langsethiae and T-2/HT-2 toxins

Fusarium disease of oats reduces yield quality due to decreasing germination that is caused by then contamination of grain with mycotoxins produced by Fusarium fungi. The aim of this study was to characterize the resistance of naked breeding lines of oats to fungal grain infection and to contamination with T-2 and HT-2 toxins. Thirteen naked oat breeding lines and two naked varieties, Nemchinovsky 61 and Vyatskiy, as well as a husked variety Yakov, were grown under natural conditions in the Nemchinovka Federal Research Center in 2019–2020. The contamination of grain with fungi was determined by the mycological method and real-time PCR. The analysis of mycotoxins was carried out by ELISA. In oats, Alternaria (the grain infection was 15–90 %), Cochliobolus (1–33 %), Cladosporium (1–19 %), Epicoccum (0–11 %), and Fusarium (3–17 %) fungi prevailed in the grain mycobiota. The predominant Fusarium species were F. poae (its proportion among Fusarium fungi was 49–68 %) and F. langsethiae (29–28 %). The highest amounts of F. langsethiae DNA ((27.9–71.9)×10–4 pg/ng) and T-2/HT-2 toxins (790–1230 μg/kg) were found in the grain of husked oat Yakov. Among the analysed naked oat lines, the amount of F. langsethiae DNA varied in the range of (1.2–42.7)×10–4 pg/ng, and the content of T-2/HT-2 toxins was in the range of 5–229 μg/kg. Two oat breeding lines, 54h2476 and 66h2618, as well as a new variety, Azil (57h2396), can be characterized as highly resistant to infection with Fusarium fungi and contamination with mycotoxins compared to the control variety Vyatskiy.

Formation of Potential Heterotic Groups of Oat Using Variation at Microsatellite Loci

An evaluation of polymorphism at the microsatellite loci was applied in distinguishing 85 oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes selected from the collection of genetic resources. The set of genotypes included oats with white, yellow, and brown seeds as well as a subgroup of naked oat (Avena sativa var. nuda Koern). Variation at these loci was used to form potential heterotic groups potentially used in the oat breeding program. Seven from 20 analyzed microsatellite loci revealed polymorphism. Altogether, 35 microsatellite alleles were detected (2–10 per locus). Polymorphic patterns completely differentiated all genotypes within the subgroups of white, brown, and naked oats, respectively. Only within the greatest subgroup of yellow genotypes, four pairs of genotypes remained unseparated. Genetic differentiation between the oat subgroups allowed the formation of seven potential heterotic groups using the STRUCTURE analysis. The overall value of the fixation index (Fst) suggested a high genetic differentiation between the subgroups and validated a heterotic grouping. This approach can be implemented as a simple predictor of heterosis in parental crosses prior to extensive field testing or development and implementation of more accurate genomic selection.

The influence of abiotic stress on the crop and seed setting

The potential productivity of an ear by the time of flowering is predetermined by the number of fertile flowers and the “planned” mass of 1000 grains - through the number of flowers with which the grain size is inversely correlated, by the resources of the shoot vegetative mass and by the possibility of realizing these resources. The influence of pinching and incomplete setting of seeds in the conditions of dry growing seasons of 2018 and 2020 for the formation of grain is considered. It was concluded that grains from the first three flowers have a predominant contribution to the productivity of a spikelet. The naked oat variety Nemchinovskiy 61 could not realize its biological potential due to abiotic stresses. Due to the incomplete seed setting, an average of 2.03 grains out of 5-6 flowers were preserved for harvesting. Reduction of flowers number in a spikelet in naked oats to two as the direction in breeding has no prospects. To increase the adaptability of naked oats to abiotic stresses, parental forms with a relatively small number of grains in a spike, which are capable to utilize precipitation, should be involved in hybridization, to increase the mass of 1000 grains.

The study results of biochemical properties of naked oats and physical properties of the dough mixtures with wheat flour

Adding oat products to composite mixtures during baking increases the biological value of a new product. The purpose of the current study was to assess the biochemical properties of grain of the naked oat varieties ‘Baget’ and ‘Bekas’, to establish the rheological parameters of dough mixtures obtained by mixing white oat flour and whole grain flour with high-quality wheat flour according to the farinographic analysis. The introduction of oat products into the mixture affects the structural and mechanical indicators of the dough and can improve or worsen the quality indicators of bakery products. It is the decoding of the diagrams (Brabender farinograph, Chopin alveograph, etc.) that satisfy the questions related to the study of dough, with the characteristics of the physical properties of dough. There has been established a high nutritional grain value of the naked oat varieties (whole grain and white flour), when the protein percentage was on 5.3–7.6% more than in wheat flour and oil content was almost 6–5 times higher, which indicated great opportunities for using this grain crop in bakery. The study of the rheological parameters of dough showed that in composite mixtures the type of ingredients (whole grain flour, white flour) and the proportion of naked oats products (10, 20, 30%) differently affect the physical properties of dough, i.e. in relation to premium wheat flour, dilution of dough increases on 40–140 u.f., resistance of dough to extension (stability) reduces on 2.5–6.0 min and valorigraphic number reduces on 10–36 u.v. When mixing with white oat flour compared to whole grain, the physical properties of the dough are characterized by the best indicators, however, the introduction of whole-ground oat flour in the mixture retains all the benefits of oat grain. There were no significant differences between the naked oat varieties ‘Baget’ and ‘Bekas’ in the effect on the rheological parameters of the dough. When using oat flour in mixtures, there was identified a tendency to deterioration of the physical properties of dough, the differences were significant in terms of the resistance of dough to extension (stability) and valorigraphic number.