Comparative assessment of grain physical characteristics and anti-nutritional factors of oat (Avena sativa L.) germplasm

Oats are a valuable cereal crop known for their nutritional benefits and their wider adaptability. The present laboratory study was conducted in the Department of Agricultural Biochemistry, ANDUA&T, Ayodhya, to assess the physical characteristics and anti-nutritional factors of Oat genotypes is essential for selecting a superior cultivar. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The results revealed that, among physical characteristics, the highest grain length (3.55 mm) and width (1.65 mm) were recorded in NDO-10 and UPO-212 germplasm respectively. RO-19 showed the highest test weight (31.22 g/1000 seeds), while NDO-10 had the highest number of grains per spike (150.00), and NDO-1802 recorded the maximum husk weight (303.50 g/kg of seed). In terms of anti-nutritional factors, the lowest tannin content (115.83 mg/100 g) was observed in JHO-822, the lowest lectin content (30.50 mg/100 g) in NDO-10 and NDO-01, and the lowest trypsin inhibitor content (3.17 mg/100 g) in UPO-212. These findings suggest that genotypes such as NDO-10, UPO-212, and JHO-822 exhibit favourable traits and may serve as promising candidates for future research and breeding programs aimed at improving oat quality.