The production of oat is in a decreasing trend worldwide, and there will be fewer opportunities to buy good quality oats in the international market.

South America represents an important area with excellent environment for production of high grain yield and high grain quality oats. Oat acreage is expanding in the region, especially in Brazil, and as better varieties are released more farmers will be growing oats, and a stable production area that can supply large market needs may be formed. However, there are several constraints that limit the expansion of the oat crop in the region. First, oat is competing directly in the same season with crops with high market value such as barley and wheat that already have very good established breeding programs with excellent support from the respective industries. New improved wheat and barley varieties will be reaching the market soon, making the competition even more difficult. Second, the frequent changes in the populations of pathogens, especially crown and stem rust, make the new oat varieties have fewer years of use once they reach the farmers’ fields (average four years).

For the last ten years, Quaker bought all the oats needed in the region, only because new improved varieties with high yield and high quality were released, changing completely the image that farmers used to have of oats. The possibility to buy local oats with good milling quality saved money and certainly positioned strategically better the Company for eventual changes in government policies.

In the last twenty years new varieties released, especially in Brazil, increased grain quality and the mill yield has been improved from 51.2 % in 1982 to 69.2% in 1997. That represents more than 30% increase, and represents a savings of $ 800,000.00 by the industry in 15 years.

To develop the potential for oat production, and to maintain and increase grain quality and yield with durable resistance to crown and stem rust, a new program for South America should be designed that embraces the oat research in the region. There are human resources with good training in different disciplinary fields, new laboratories and new modern techniques now being implanted in several institutions in the region, so, there is a unique opportunity to integrate all the oat research in a program with focus on the goals that are more important for the milling industry. Quaker has the opportunity to coordinate and to set the main goals for the oat research and be the primary beneficiary of the results obtained in the program.

General:

a.  increase the area grown with high grain yield and high grain quality oat varieties in South America;

b.  increase the supply of oats with good milling qualities in South America.

Specifics:

a.  develop oat germplasm/varieties with high grain yield and high grain quality with durable resistance to crown and stem rust;

b.  devise new roles for oats in the crop systems (rotation) used by farmers.

This integrated program will have focus in breeding new varieties with the main emphasis in high grain yield and quality with durable resistance to stem and crown rust and in oat management.

The development of new varieties embraces several important steps and it is based in scientific knowledge and experience in dealing with the crop. This program will have an impact in breeding, with significant changes over the past strategies. The major changes are to increase the diversity of germplasm in use and change in strategy for selecting more durable type of resistance.

Breeding has three major components: 1) variability, 2) selection, and 3) testing.

Strategy:

a. Introduction of new inbred lines every year and crosses will be made in Florida with good American lines and the best lines from the programs from South America. Preference will be given for three way crosses involving two varieties from United States (one spring and one winter type) and one well adapted to South America. Populations in the generation F3 will be sent to selecting sites (see below), where selection will be realized (Quaker Nursery).

This part of the program will be the responsibility of the American partners of the program Dr. Ronald D. Barnett (University of Florida) and Dr. Deon Stuthman (University of Minnesota) and it has the advantage that improvements in the American programs can be rapidly integrated in the programs of South America. Heidi Kaeppler (University of Wisconsin) will also collaborate in crosses.

b. Crosses will be done in one location in South America attending the objectives of all breeding program in the region. The location will be chosen after a meeting with the main breeders. Crosses made in South America will maintain a favorable combination of genes already selected in the region, and at the same time will allow recombination with specific germplasm.

2) Selection: identification of genotypes with superior characteristics is of crucial importance for the development of superior varieties.

Strategy:

a.  Multi site selection: genetic variability generated should be selected in different locations.

Locations proposed:

- Brazil: Porto Alegre (UFRGS), Passo Fundo (UPF), Entre Rios (Agraria)

- Uruguay: Colonia (INIA)

- Argentina: Barrow (INTA), Chacabuco (Don Mario).

These locations represent different environments and the genotypes selected in each location can be very different from genotypes selected in another place even if they came from the same population. Selection in specific important locations will lead to development of varieties with better adaptation and consequently higher yield in that region.

These locations represent different environments and the genotypes selected in each location can be very different from genotypes selected in another place even if they came from the same population. Selection in specific important locations will lead to development of varieties with better adaptation and consequently higher yield in that region.

Selection pressure will be imposed for several traits of importance, but a special emphasis will be placed on the main goals of this program.

3) Testing: With breeding programs more efficient, a great number of new oat lines will be developed and it is important to evaluate them in different environments, locations and years in order to identify and to release only the really best ones.

Strategy:

a. Multi site testing: the testing procedure is very expensive and requires the collaboration of several different institutions. The proposed testing sites are:

- Brazil: Porto Alegre, Passo Fundo, Vacaria, Campos Novos, Ponta Grossa, Entre Rios, São Carlos.

- Uruguay: Colonia

- Argentina: Barrow, Chacabuco, Bordenave.

Multi site testing gives a more accurate evaluation of the potential for the new lines and indicates with good precision what lines are better than current varieties in several attributes and should be released as varieties. Multi site testing will insure that only the best ones will be released so the farmers will have a more reliable crop that will produce more and better quality oat. Also, it permits some varieties that do very well in one region to be released only for that region, supplying specific needs of the farmers. There is a collaborative effort in place, so the cost for testing will not be increased.

Two aspects are very important in breeding oat varieties in the region: 1) breeding for resistance to crown and stem rust, and 2) breeding for better grain quality.

Multi site testing gives a more accurate evaluation of the potential for the new lines and indicates with good precision what lines are better than current varieties in several attributes and should be released as varieties. Multi site testing will insure that only the best ones will be released so the farmers will have a more reliable crop that will produce more and better quality oat. Also, it permits some varieties that do very well in one region to be released only for that region, supplying specific needs of the farmers. There is a collaborative effort in place, so the cost for testing will not be increased.

Two aspects are very important in breeding oat varieties in the region: 1) breeding for resistance to crown and stem rust, and 2) breeding for better grain quality.

Multi site testing gives a more accurate evaluation of the potential for the new lines and indicates with good precision what lines are better than current varieties in several attributes and should be released as varieties. Multi site testing will insure that only the best ones will be released so the farmers will have a more reliable crop that will produce more and better quality oat. Also, it permits some varieties that do very well in one region to be released only for that region, supplying specific needs of the farmers. There is a collaborative effort in place, so the cost for testing will not be increased.

Two aspects are very important in breeding oat varieties in the region: 1) breeding for resistance to crown and stem rust, and 2) breeding for better grain quality.

Crown and stem rust are two of the most variable fungi. The fungal virulence is important in all parts of the world where oats are cultivated. They are very damaging, not only in decreasing yield but also in decreasing the grain quality. Until now major genes with immune type of response have been used in the region, but varieties with this kind of resistance do not last long (average 4 years) with resistance once they are in farmers’ fields. That is because changes in the race/population in the fungus and the pressure imposed by the new varieties will give selection advantage to new rust mutants. A change in philosophy should be made and new selection strategies should be practiced.

Strategy:

a) selection for identifying lines with low progress of disease and that produce less and minor size pustules, and less spores per unit of area and other mechanisms which lead to more durable resistance;

b) use plant pathologist (Martinelli and Antonelli) to help breeders do better selection, especially in segregating populations;

c) propose new methodology for selection for durable resistance in early segregating generations.

There is enough evidence in the literature that deployment of oat varieties selected based on several mechanisms for stopping the build up of the disease may help increase its durability in the farmers’ field. Oat lines bred in Minnesota and in Porto Alegre show delayed progress of disease even in the presence of heavy inoculum of crown rust.

Quality is one main issue considering the milling industry and consumers of oat products. Hull percentage, test weight, kernel weight, uniformity are important physical traits and they are under genetic control and can be modified by breeding. Besides that, the oat grain has many distinctive chemical and structural features, such as dietary fiber, that can be bred for with the right target and right selection procedure. In this program a goal for all these traits can be postulated.

Strategy:

a)  selection pressure: continue pressure for high grain filling and uniformity in all plants selected in the program; do test weight, groat percentage in order to correctly identify the best lines in final testing stage;

b) use digital image analysis to identify what physical trait better correlates with grain quality; have a better definition from the milling industry of milling quality; use modern and non destructive techniques to measure chemical composition of oat grains.

New techniques are emerging and they will be rapidly incorporated into the main breeding programs thus improving the possibility of modifying the composition of oat grain.

Oats should be more profitable in order to compete well with other crops such as wheat and barley, or to show any advantage when placed in the current crop systems being used by farmers.

Strategy:

a.  experiments should be devised for improving the role of oat in the crop rotation being used by the farmers in the relevant agroecosystems of South America (increase desire of farmers to grow oats).

b.  experiments should be developed to optimize the oat grain yield and grain quality.

There is evidence showing that farmers in some regions prefer to use oats prior to soybeans because they will use half the amount of herbicide than if wheat or barley are used prior to soybeans. There is a need for on-farm demonstration experiments and other techniques to educate farmers for more beneficial use of oats in the crop system.

Experiments with more efficient use of nitrogen, especially with new, more productive varieties will maximize the yield potential and quality improving the competitiveness of the oat crop.

The Quaker nursery report has been for years the most important source of information about the performance of different germplasm in the region. However, it has been available two or more years after the information was obtained, that decreased its value as a source of information for helping breeders make decisions. Nowadays with electronic transfer of information among the breeders, and the need for information as soon as possible it should be changed and it may encompass all the activities that were realized in the program.

Strategy: create a specific and unique electronic sheet which can handle all data being manipulated in the current program; speed delivery of the results as soon they are collected in the field and labs; prepare a more concise and final year report by Deon Stuthman and Romulo Trombetta.

The rapid flow of information can help breeders to make decisions in the same crop year, making the program a lot more efficient. Use of information will help the planning of the crosses and maintain the focus of all personnel involved on the main goals of the program.

a) Quaker Committee:

Sam Weaver
Carlos Sieber
Ricardo Salaberria
Gilberto Cravalho
Romulo Trombetta
Jayme Souza

b) Quaker Team:

Sam Weaver
Deon Stuthman (University of Minnesota)
Ronald D. Barnett (University of Florida)
Romulo Trombetta
Luiz Cralos Federizzi (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)

c) Institutions:

1. Brazil: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF)
Cooperativa Agraria Mista Entre Rios (AGRARIA)

2. Uruguay: Inst. Nacional Investigaciones Agricolas , ( INIA)

3. Argentina :Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria ( INTA)