Fodder Oats: A World Overview (FAO Plant Production and Protection Series)

This book, well illustrated, brings together information on the state of fodder oats worldwide, and is aimed mainly at agronomists and extension workers. It contains a series of regional studies focusing on oats used as fodder rather than grain. Oats are well adapted to areas of mild winters or cold climates with short growing seasons; their use is also expanding rapidly as a winter soil cover in subtropical South America. Oats have become very popular among small-scale farmers in Pakistan and surrounding areas, for dairy production and as a cash-crop to supply town dairies, and studies by national specialists in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush zone describe their development and use. Oats are easy to grow with equipment and techniques used for wheat. Introduction of multicut varieties has reinforced the popularity of oats as fodder, but continuous breeding efforts are necessary to maintain disease resistance. There are few breeders working on fodder oats, and new, young breeders and funding are needed to maintain the work.