Company Links and Login

Monitor

Breadcrumb Navigation

Wild Oats


Wild Oat (Avena fatua)
 
Annual, grows up to 1.5m high.
 
Winter Wild-Oat (Avena Sterilis spp. ludoviciana)
 
Annual, grows up to 1.8m high.
 
 
 
 

Wild Oat

Character:  Upright and tall, similar to cultivated oat.

Flower:  Spreading panicle of drooping spikelets, with 2-3 flowers.  Each flower has a twisted bent awn.  The seeds of the Wild-oat fall singularly.

Winter Wild-oat

Character:  Similar to A.fatua, however seeds are different.  Seeds of the spikelet fall together, and are difficult to separate.  The third seed in the spikelet is awnless.  Winter Wild-oat seeds germinate late October to early March.

Significance:  Wild-oat is a serious problem infesting most arable crops, causing reduced yields.  Seeds may be viable for up to ten years in undisturbed land, and four to five years in cultivated land.  A.fatua germinates in autumn and spring, while A.sterilis spp. germinates in autumn and winter.