Nitrogen utilisation in Libyan strains of Avena sterilis L. with high groat protein and high straw nitrogen content

Two Libyan strains of Avena sterilis L. and two cultivars of A. sativa L. were grown at three levels of available nitrogen and at two temperatures in controlled‐environment rooms. The strains of A. sterilis produced groats with protein concentrations significantly greater than those of the cultivars of A. sativa under all nitrogen and temperature conditions. One strain produced straw with a greater nitrogen concentration, but because of a low harvest index, it did not have a higher concentration of nitrogen in the entire shoot. The other strain appeared to synthesise groat protein faster than the A. sativa cultivars during the early stage of grain development and was considered to have potential as a donor of genes for the improvement of protein content in cultivated oats. Both strains of A. sterilis had shorter grain‐filling periods than the cultivars of A. sativa .