Comparison of yield and panicle productivity of hulled (Avena sativa L.) and naked (Avena nuda L.) oats

To evaluate oat yield and determine grain yield components, three cultivars of hulled oat and three cultivars of naked oat were tested in field trials in the years 1999–2001. The experiments were carried out at four locations. The yield of naked oats reached 74% of that of hulled oats, but the production of nude grains was higher by 23% in naked oats. The productivity of panicles is the crucial trait affecting oat yield. Hulled cultivars, as compared with naked oats, produced a greater number of spikelets and a greater number of grains per panicle, respectively by 4.2 and 6.2 on average. The weight of 1000 grains produced by hulled cultivars was higher by 14%, but the percentage of the husks covered about 25% of the whole grain mass. The percentage of nude grains in the naked cultivars was higher (85%) than that in the hulled cultivars (50%).