Dwarf naked oat variety set to lift crop fortunes

Dwarf naked oat variety set to lift crop fortunes

DWARF naked oat variety Icon could give the crop a new lease of life by allowing later applications of nitrogen to boost oil and protein quality.

"Lodging has been the limiting factor but this is now eliminated with Icon," maintains Semundos Chris Green.

"The ability to apply late N is giving us the quality we need to open up new markets," says Mr Green. Trials at ADAS Rosemaund suggests the stiff-strawed oat can cope with total nitrogen applications almost twice that of conventional naked oats.

Later nitrogen application at GS32 compared to GS31, achieves target protein contents of 16-18% and results in a more digestible globular form of protein, making Icon an attractive protein source for animal feed markets, he says.

Furthermore, the crops unique formulation of beta-glucan is opening up new markets in both pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. &#42