What Are Wild Oat Plants?

Wild oat seed has hairs, as opposed to these domesticated oats, which do not.

Wild oat (Avena fatua) is a native annual grass present in most of North America. Some other common names for this plant are flaxgrass, oat grass, wheat oats and wild oats. This plant is considered a grassy weed in many U.S. states and Canadian provinces. It competes for water and sunlight, leading to massive crop-yield losses, especially in cases of severe infestation.

Identification

Wild oat greatly resembles the types of crops it infests. It bears a strong resemblance to wheat, domesticated oats and barley, with a few distinctions, but one of the easiest ways to identify wild oats is by the twist of the leaf blade, according to the Texas A&M University Extension The leaves of wild oat seedlings twist counterclockwise, as opposed to wheat and barley seedlings, for example, whose leaves twist clockwise.

Infestation

Texas A&M University Extension reports that 28 million acres of land in the United States are infested with wild oat, with North Dakota suffering the heaviest infestation. These infestations result in crop yield losses for farmers, and sometimes prevent harvest altogether in cases of severe infestation.

Contamination

Wild oat is present in almost every U.S. state, with the exception of several states in the southeast; fields are contaminated in a few different ways. According to Texas A&M, commercial seed is inevitably contaminated; farm equipment, such as combines, infest fields when they transfer the seed; and the wind, water and wild animals carry the seed into fields.

Resistance

Wild oat is resistant to many traditional herbicides, and the most effective ones are also the most expensive. The fact that its growth habit is similar to wheat, barley and domesticated oats also make it difficult to control. The plant can lay dormant for years and years, and the deeper the seeds are tilled into the soil, the longer the dormancy can last.

Control

According to the Manitoba Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, the best approach to wild oat control is to plant competitive crops that are able to get a jump on wild oats. Two of the most effective of these crops are barley and canola. Detection of wild oat must happen very early in the season.

References

• USDA Plants Profile: Avena fatua L.
• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives: Wild Oats
• Texas Agrilife Research and Extension Center; Wild Oat Control in Texas; Billy E. Warrick and Todd Baughman