title / AFENO: Avian Feed Efficiency from Naked Oats
/ DEFRA
project code / LS3623
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CSG 15
Research and Development
Final Project Report
(Not to be used for LINK projects)
Two hard copies of this form should be returned to:Research Policy and International Division, Final Reports Unit
DEFRA, Area 301
Cromwell House, Dean Stanley Street, London, SW1P 3JH.
An electronic version should be e-mailed to
Project title / AFENO: Avian Feed Efficiency from Naked Oats
DEFRA project code / LS3623
Contractor organisation and location / Oat Services
226 Bassett Avenue
Southampton
SO16 7FU
Total DEFRA project costs / £ 351198
Project start date / 01/10/00 / Project end date / 01/09/03
Executive summary (maximum 2 sides A4)
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CSG 15 (Rev. 6/02) 4
Projecttitle / AFENO: Avian Feed Efficiency from Naked Oats
/ DEFRA
project code / LS3623
Project Background and Objectives
Considerable commercial interest had been expressed in investigating the use of oats in poultry rations, as birds fed commercially on oat diets appeared to perform better than would have been expected from the nutritional description.
Advances in genetic breeding at IGER, Aberystwyth, had led to the establishment of naked oats as a viable break crop option for growers and advanced varieties of ‘high oil’ naked oats offer the potential for significantly enhanced performance in monogastrics diets.
Oats are a cereal break crop option for growers. However the relatively modest annual production is constrained by the lack of viable markets to sustain an attractive return to the grower. The animal feed market has the potential to double the area of oats under production, whilst offering the compounder a starch based high-energy alternative to the high levels of wheat currently used in poultry diets. An increase in the cultivated area of oats would also benefit the environment through encouraging biodiversity together with the advantages of lower fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide regimes when compared to wheat.
The AFENO project was established to conduct a coordinated programme of research to test the advantages of naked oats to the grower as an economic breakcrop, to the poultry industry as an effective ingredient in broiler and turkey rations, and to the consumer in improved meat quality.
Project Findings
Agronomic
§ Yield response to reduced plant densities.
The economic optima was established between 82 and 132 plants M-2 indicating the possibility to reduce seed rates from current commercial practice. However this is dependant on favourable seeding conditions, date of sowing and the inherent lower germination in naked oats which would need to be taken into account.
§ Effects of reduced plant densities on quality
Reduction in plant densities gave an increase in thousand grain weight [TGW]. There was a positive correlation between protein content and TGW, however oil content reduced with increasing TGW.
§ Effect of nitrogen timing on grain yield
In the absence of significant lodging the optimum yield was not affected by nitrogen timing.
§ Effect of nitrogen rate on grain yield
Variety, soil fertility, and plant population affect the potential for improved yield from increasing nitrogen applications. On average every 1 Kg/Ha of applied nitrogen increased grain yield by 13 Kg/ha. Yield responses from liquid foliar urea as a late season application were inconsistent.
§ Effect of nitrogen application on grain nutrient quality.
Nitrogen management provides the grower with a method of manipulating grain quality. However increases in oil were at the expense of protein.
Grain Quality
§ Nutritional grain quality.
§ Metabolisable Energy. Naked oats yielded a higher TMEN [17.5 Mj/g] than wheats assayed simultaneously, with a TMEN comparable to maize. [Husked oats 16.5; Wheat, 16.00]. The high-oil varieties gave higher TME. At 18.09 Mj/g.
§ There was a close linear relationship between TMEN measured in broilers and cockerels, although there was a tendency for broiler TMEN to be about 3% lower. Broiler and turkey values were in closer agreement.
§ Amino Acid Digestibility. Digestibility ranged from 72.2 to 79.2% [Wheat 78.6%].
§ Starch Digestibility. Digestiblities were uniformly high at above 99%
§ Fat Digestibility. True fat digestibility averaged 80%. [Wheat 65%].
§ Enzyme Effects. The addition of β-glucanase, but not phytase, produced an increase of about 4% in the apparent metabolisable energy [AME] of oats for broilers.
§ Effects of hull content. There was an optimum at a hull inclusion rate of 2 to 4% of the whole diet increasing the AMEn by up to 1 Mj/g. In assessments up to 16% of the whole diet the AME remained substantially higher than the “expected” value.
§ Predictive Equations. A satisfactory predictive equation specifically for naked oats could be obtained by using an equation with a constant. In addition, predictive equations would be improved by using a specific equation for different classes of poultry stock.
§ Taste and Tenderness. There were differences observed when naked oats were included in the diets of turkey and chicken. These differences were favourable in the direction of naked oats and no adverse effects were noted in either texture or flavour.
Commercial Trials
§ Bernard Matthews Ltd. A 21 week feeding trial was conducted utilizing 5,600 birds including an assessment of meat composition. It was concluded that the naked oat specification supplied from the project data was appropriate for naked oats and birds performed as expected. Naked oats therefore should perform well in a turkey diet.
§ Sun Valley Ltd. A 45 day trial was undertaken using 5,040 birds in six treatments. The company concluded that as a substitute cereal for wheat the naked oats had been shown to be a viable alternative for chickens. On levels up to 50% inclusion rate of naked oats, the birds performed as well or better than the chickens on a standard wheat diet. The feed conversion efficiency on the naked oat diets was better than the control wheat diet and improved at each increased inclusion level. This indicated that the energy level attributed to naked oats using the Sun Valley system undervalued naked oats.
§ A 5000 breeding turkey hen trial conducted at British United Turkeys supported the findings of the other two commercial companies.
§ The nutritional data resulting from the project was assessed at Roche Vitamins (UK) Ltd to determine the value of naked oats in a number of least cost formulations. The results demonstrated that naked oats would be included in poultry diets in significant quantities when priced around £20 -£25 tonne above the current wheat value. The value varied between species and diets within species.
Research Implications:
This research demonstrated the outdated nature of the nutritional information currently available for oats and the requirement to continue to update this information as advanced high performance oat varieties become available.
The project results suggest a positive benefit to the addition of moderate amounts of oat hulls to monogastrics rations. Further research is required to understand the mechanism and the possible benefits of ‘low lignin’ oat varieties.
The continued development of higher yielding ‘high oil’ varieties would bring additional benefits with higher metabolisable energy values, together with reduced growing costs.
It is likely that other monogastric animals such as pigs, would benefit from an inclusion of naked oats in the ration, however this should be confirmed in in-vivo trials.
Commercial Implications.
Naked oats have been demonstrated to be nutritionally and economically viable as a wheat alternative within poultry rations.
Two commercial collaborators have placed a number of experimental short-chain production contracts with growers in
order to assess the supply logistics and use of naked oats in a commercial operation with the view to a significant increase
in the production area if the trials prove to be successful.
AFENO Project Recommended Naked and Husked Oat Nutrient ProfilesAs Fed Basis
Naked Oats / Husked Oats / Naked Oats / Husked Oats
Dry matter / % / 87.7 / 86.8 / Lysine / % / 0.426 / 0.341
Moisture / % / 12.3 / 13.2 / Methionine / % / 0.167 / 0.125
Protein / % / 10.26 / 9.11 / Methionine & cystine / % / 0.508 / 0.405
Oil (B) / % / 9.47 / 7.64 / Tryptophan / % / 0.175 / 0.175
NDF (amylase treated) / % / 7.81 / 23.26 / Threonine / % / 0.333 / 0.267
Acid Detergent Fibre / % / 5.88 / 16.93 / Arginine / % / 0.644 / 0.516
Crude Fibre / % / 2.0 / 11.0 / Isoleucine / % / 0.497 / 0.346
Ash / % / 4.21 / 2.69 / Leucine / % / 0.733 / 0.638
Essential Fatty Acids / g/100g / 4.03 / 3.88 / Valine / % / 0.484 / 0.420
Metabolisable Energy / Digestible lysine / % / 0.371 / 0.297
MJ/kg / 15.2 / 13.9 / Digestible methionine / % / 0.144 / 0.108
kcal/kg / 3630 / 3321 / Digestible methionine & cystine / % / 0.432 / 0.344
kcal/lb / 1649 / 1507 / Digestible tryptophan / % / 0.151 / 0.150
Calcium / % / 0.08 / 0.07 / Digestible threonine / % / 0.283 / 0.227
Total Phosphorus / % / 0.43 / 0.35 / Digestible arginine / % / 0.605 / 0.485
Available Phosphorus / % / 0.11 / 0.10 / Digestible isoleucine / % / 0.442 / 0.308
Salt / % / 0.12 / 0.12 / Digestible leucine / % / 0.674 / 0.587
Sodium / % / <0.2 / <0.2 / Digestible valine / % / 0.426 / 0.370
Potassium / % / 0.38 / 0.39
Chloride / % / <0.1 / 0.1
CSG 15 (Rev. 6/02) 4
Projecttitle / AFENO: Avian Feed Efficiency from Naked Oats
/ DEFRA
project code / LS3623
Scientific report (maximum 20 sides A4)
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CSG 15 (Rev. 6/02) 4
Projecttitle / AFENO: Avian Feed Efficiency from Naked Oats
/ DEFRA
project code / LS3623
Objective I. Crop husbandry techniques affecting yield and grain quality.
§ Yield response to reduced plant densities.
Initially yield increased rapidly as seed rates increased but slowed once 200 seeds m-2 was reached. In 2001, when yields were below average, there was a trend for yields to increase up to the highest seed rates (figure 1). In 2002 where a reduced number of seed rates was used there was no significant yield increase after 400 seeds m-2 was reached. In 2003, where late season lodging occurred in seed rates greater than 100 seeds m-2 yield decreased at the higher seed rates particularly in variety Millennium (figure 2). Using the linear plus exponential curve fits presented in figures 1 and 2 and a seed cost to grain price ratio of 6:1, economic optimum seed rates were estimated. Optima were 202, 159 and 165 seeds m-2 for Grafton, Icon and Millennium respectively in 2001 and 86 seeds m-2 for Grafton and Millennium in 2003. Using establishment figures these can be equated in to economic optimum plant populations of 98, 76 and 132 plants m-2 for Grafton, Icon and Millennium respectively in 2001 and 82 plants m-2 for Grafton and Millennium in 2003. Optima could not be estimated in 2002 with the reduced number of seed rates available. This suggests that there is scope to reduce seed rates in winter oats depending on drilling date and seed bed conditions. However the lower germination in naked oats would need to be taken into account when seed rates were calculated. The reduction of lodging at the reduced seed rates in 2003 indicates an additional benefit to reduced plant densities. Lodging is still seen by many growers as a major problem in oats and so reducing seed rates may be cost effective way for growers to reducing lodging risk with negligible effect on yield.
§ Effects of reduced plant densities on quality
There was an indication that as plant population was reduced and thus thousand-grain weight increased the amount of oil in the grain decreased, indicated by a negative linear regression presented in figure 3. It has been generally accepted that grain oil content is in the main controlled genetically and therefore can only be manipulated by growers by variety choice. However this data suggests that by growing crops at high seed rates growers may be able to increase to a small degree the oil content of grain. But these decreases in oil content are counter balanced by increases in protein content as plant population is reduced and grain size increased. Even these small increases in oil content may be of value due to its high energy content and therefore feed value but would have to be balanced with the increased cost of production.
§ Effect of nitrogen timing on grain yield
The trials data indicates that in the absence of significant lodging optimum yield in winter oats is relatively independent of the timing of the nitrogen application but a split application at GS30/1 and GS32 is likely to maximise yield.
§ Effect of nitrogen rate on grain yield
In the absence of significant lodging in 2001 trials, grain yield increased significantly as rate of applied nitrogen was increased. At Caythorpe an increase of 60 kg from 60 to 120 kg/ha produced a mean yield increase of 0.27 t/ha (p=<0.001). At both Rosemaund and Abbots Ripton sites in 2003 mean grain yield increased with increasing nitrogen rate up to 160 kg/ha of applied nitrogen after which there was a decrease. At Rosemaund this was caused by significant levels of lodging in all treatments but at its worst in the highest applied nitrogen treatment. Average lodging scores recorded on 29 July were 26, 37 and 56 % for 100, 160 and 190 kg/ha respectively. The lodging resistant dwarf varieties Hendon and Buffalo also lodged in the trial which was intended to test lodging resistance at high applied nitrogen levels. This suggests that variety, soil fertility, plant population should all be taken into consideration when planning nitrogen strategy to optimise yield. On average across seven site seasons for every 1 kg/ha of applied nitrogen there was an increase of 13 kg of grain. There was a trend for yield to increase rapidly up to 125 kg/ha of applied nitrogen but slowed thereafter.