Plant Breeding, Cultivation, and Grain Breeding Techniques of Oats to Improve the Nutritional Components

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of advances in Oat (Avena sativa L.) breeding and agronomy, focusing on enhancing nutritional traits and discussing prospects for improving oat's nutritional value and climate resilience. Oat distinguishes itself among temperate cereals by its superior content of β-glucan, high-quality protein, unsaturated lipids and bioavailable micronutrients. Rising consumer demand for “functional” foods, together with the climate resilience of oats, has reinvigorated breeding programmes aimed at boosting grain nutrition without sacrificing yield or agronomic robustness. This review synthesises progress made in the last decade towards (i) conventional and molecular breeding to raise levels of β-glucan, protein, oil, antioxidants and key minerals; (ii) genomic and gene-editing tools that accelerate trait introgression; and (iii) cultivation and agronomic bio-fortification practices that complement genetic gain. The remaining bottlenecks—polygenic inheritance, limited trait phenotyping, and genotype × environment interactions—are discussed alongside a future outlook for integrative “omics” and climate-smart breeding strategies. Significant progress has been made in enriching oat grain with health-promoting compounds through integrated breeding and agronomic approaches. Future success depends on standardized phenotyping, supportive regulations for precision breeding, and climate-resilient cultivation practices.