Academic Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Research
 

Academic Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Research 

Vol. 4(5), pp. 164-173. September, 2016.

ISSN: 2360-7874 

 DOI: 10.14662/ARJASR2016.021

Full Length Research

Study on current production and utilization status and further prospects of Oats (Avena sativa) in mixed farming systems of the central highland areas of Ethiopia

Gezahagn Kebede^1*, Fekede Feyissa¹, Getnet Assefa², Alemayehu Mengistu³, Tadesse Tekletsadik¹ and Muluneh Minta¹

¹Holetta Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 31, Holetta, Ethiopia

²Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, P.O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

³Forage and Rangeland Scientist, Urael Branch, P.O. Box 62291, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

*Corresponding author: gezk2007@yahoo.co.uk

Accepted 21 August 2016

The study was undertaken to assess and analyze the existing Oats (Avena sativa) production and utilization systems followed by launching possible intervention options and scaling up of the feasible intervention in north Shewa zone of the Oromiya regional state. The assessment result indicated that rough estimate of farm households who grow Oats for food and/or feed in the zone was close to 20,748 out of the total 216,000 farm households during the study. But the grain productivity was very low because the farmers used only the forage type of Oats for both feed and food purposes. During the second phase, two forage types and two grain types of Oats varieties with local check were selected to evaluate their agronomic performances under farmers fields. The result showed that the selected Oats varieties varied significantly (P<0.05) for plant height, DM yield and seed yield across locations and years. The tested Oats varieties showed that yield and yield component advantage in terms of vigor (11.1 and 21.2%), plant height (15.4 and 19.2%), DM yield (11.8 and 50.0%) and seed yield (17.0 and 81.3%) were recorded at Girar-Jarso when compared to Jida and Wuchale, respectively. The combined analysis showed that Lampton gave the highest DM yield (6.2 t ha^-1) followed by CI-8237 (5.9 t ha^-1) while the lowest DM yield (3.9 t ha^-1) was recorded for local variety. The result indicated that Lampton and CI-8237 gave 59.0 and 51.3% DM yield advantage over the local variety. The combined analysis also indicated that Coker SR res 80SA130 produced the highest seed yield (2810 kg ha^-1) followed by SRCP X 80 Ab 2252 (2320 kg ha^-1) and the varieties showed 57.0 and 29.6% seed yield advantage over the local variety respectively. Though, the cultivation of Oats was limited/banned by both zonal and regional officials especially for grain production since 2012 cropping season, Lampton and Coker SR res 80SA130 varieties were recommended for forage and grain production respectively. Therefore, the observed controversial issues with regard to Oats production and utilization should be resolved with all concerned bodies in order to fix its future use in the study areas.

Keywords: forage type, grain type, oats varieties, production, utilization, yields

How to cite this article: Kebede G, Feyissa F, Assefa G, Mengistu A, Tekletsadik T, Minta M (2016). Study on current production and utilization status and further prospects of Oats (Avena sativa) in mixed farming systems of the central highland areas of Ethiopia. Acad. Res. J. Agri. Sci. Res. 4(5): 164-173

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