Avena is a genus of Eurasian and African plants in the grass family. Collectively known as the oats, they include some species which have been cultivated for thousands of years as a food source for humans and livestock. They are widespread throughout Europe, Asia and northwest Africa. Several species have become naturalized in many parts of the world, and are regarded as invasive weeds where they compete with crop production. All oats have edible seeds, though they are small and hard to harvest in most species.
Ecology
Avena species, including cultivated oats, are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including rustic shoulder-knot and setaceous Hebrew character.
Like most terrestrial plants, oats have symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF help oats to better handle drought and other abiotic stresses. Studies have shown that inoculation with AMF increased oat yields in drought conditions.
For diseases of oats, see List of oat diseases.
Species
One species is of major commercial importance as a cereal grain. Four other species are grown as crops of minor or regional importance.
Avena sativa – the common oat, a cereal crop of global importance and the species commonly referred to as "oats"
Avena abyssinica – the Ethiopian oat, native to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti; naturalized in Yemen and Saudi Arabia
Avena byzantina – a minor crop in Greece and the Middle East; introduced in Spain, Algeria, India, New Zealand, South America, etc.
Avena nuda – the naked oat or hulless oat, which plays much the same role in Europe as does A. abyssinica in Ethiopia. It is sometimes included in A. sativa and was widely grown in Europe before the latter replaced it. As its nutrient content is somewhat better than that of the common oat, A. nuda has increased in significance in recent years, especially in organic farming.
Avena strigosa – the lopsided oat, bristle oat, or black oat, grown for fodder in...
