Wild Oats (Avena fatua L.)

About Wild Oats: Looks very similar to Wheat and Barley

Wild oats can grow to be as tall as 4 feet. This weed has a dark green stem and flat, veiny leaves. It produces flowers that can be yellow, white, grey, brown or black. The flowers can also be all of these colors combined. The flowers tend to be angled downward. Wild Oats can reproduce in all different soil types, giving them a competitive advantage against many different crops and could possibly cause a lot of damage. This especially has major effects on grain crops.

Family: Grass Family (Gramineae)

Wild Oats Scouting and Prevention:

When scouting for Wild Oats, it is important to be able to tell the difference between Wild Oats in comparison to wheat and barley because they are very similar. Wild Oats plants have ear-like pieces of stem that wrap around at the joints and can help determine that the weed is, in fact, Wild Oats. Crop counts should be done to look for this weed, but much attention needs to be paid to ensure that this weed is noticed, as it does blend in very well with wheat and barley crops. Ensure that you are checking low spots in the fields to see if Wild Oats are growing there, and do frequent and random checks to help prevent the growth of Wild Oats in your fields.

Wild Oats Control:

Tillage early in the season can help control Wild Oats from taking over fields and damaging crops. Pre and post season Herbicide application can help control the growth of Wild Oats in your fields. Shallow seeding has also been known to help give crops a better chance against Wild oats.

Latin / Alternative Wild Oats Names:

• - Avena fatua L.
• - AVEFA
• - Folle avoine
• - Black oats
• - Avoine folle
• - Avoine sauvage

Additional Wild oats Resources: