Oat, Wild, Winter [Avena sterilis]

Pest profile

About the weed

It is a tall, stout, annual grass similar to cultivated oat. The leaf blade is broad and flat with an anti-clockwise twist. The flowerhead is spreading with drooping spikelets.

Key features

Fruit: Winter wild-oat has a narrower lemma than that of wild-oat and a shorter awn. The seeds are joined in the spikelet and require pressure to prize apart, leaving a scar.

Biology

Wild-oat reproduces only by seed; it germinates in autumn and persists over winter. One wild-oat plant per square meter can reduce yields by up to 1 t/ha in winter cereals and up to 0.6 t/ha in spring cereals.

Symptoms & Diagnosis

Life Cycle

Seed longevity: 1 - 5 years

Seed weight: 66.67 mg

Treatment

Management

Control is cheaper in break crops; use of stale seedbed in autumn or spring will help. Delay cultivation after harvest to allow seed predation. Hand roguing is possible when plants are visible above the crop. Clean the combine between fields to prevent seeds being spread.