oats

oats
Hardy cereal plant (Avena sativa), cultivated in temperate regions, that is able to live in poor soil.

The edible starchy grain is used primarily as livestock feed, but is also processed into rolled oats and oat flour for human consumption. High in carbohydrates, oats also provide protein, fat, calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Oat straw is used for animal feed and bedding.

Mature oats (Avena sativa).

Grant Heilman/Grant Heilman Photography, Inc.

* * *

▪ grain
 edible starchy grain of the oat plant (species Avena sativa), a cereal widely cultivated in the temperate regions of the world. The flowering and fruiting structure, or inflorescence, of the plant is made up of numerous branches bearing florets that produce the caryopsis, or one-seeded fruit.

      The wild oat was first found in western Europe, apparently as a weed mixed with barley. Wild oats spread from there to other parts of the world. Common oats are grown in cool, temperate regions; red oats, more heat tolerant, are grown mainly in warmer climates. Among cereals, oats are second only to rye in ability to survive in poor soils. With sufficient moisture, oats will grow on soils that are sandy, low in fertility, or highly acidic.

      Although oats are used chiefly as livestock feed, some are processed for human consumption, especially as breakfast foods. Rolled oats, flattened kernels with the hulls removed, are used mostly for oatmeal; other breakfast foods are made from the groats, kernels with husks removed, but unflattened. Oat flour is not generally considered suitable for bread but is used to make cookies and puddings. Oat grains are high in carbohydrates and contain about 13 percent protein and 7.5 percent fat. They are a source of calcium, iron, vitamin B1, and nicotinic acid. The grain is used as livestock feed in both pure form and in mixtures. The straw is used for animal feed and bedding. Oat plants provide good hay and, under proper conditions, furnish excellent grazing and make good silage (stalk feed preserved by fermentation). In industry oat hulls are a source of furfural, a chemical used in various types of solvents.

      Leading oat-producing countries include the United States, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada, France, Poland, Finland, Germany, and Australia. The demand for oats has been somewhat reduced by competition from hybrid corn and alfalfa.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • OATS — Open Source Assistive Technology Software is a source code repository or forge for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 [1] with the goal to provide a one stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open source developers to… …   Wikipedia

  • oats — [əuts US outs] n [plural] [: Old English; Origin: ate (singular)] the grain from which flour or oatmeal is made and that is used in cooking, or in food for animals →sow your wild oats at ↑sow1 (3) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • oats — [ outs ] noun plural a type of grain that people and animals eat feel your oats OLD FASHIONED to be full of energy => SOW1 …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Oats — (engl., spr. ōts), der Hafer …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Oats — (engl., spr. ohts), Hafer …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Oats — Oat Oat ([=o]t), n.; pl. {Oats} ([=o]ts). [OE. ote, ate, AS. [=a]ta, akin to Fries. oat. Of uncertain origin.] 1. (Bot.) A well known cereal grass ({Avena sativa}), and its edible grain, used as food and fodder; commonly used in the plural and in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • oats — [[t]o͟ʊts[/t]] (The form oat is used as a modifier.) 1) N PLURAL Oats are a cereal crop or its grains, used for making biscuits or a food called porridge, or for feeding animals. Oats provide good, nutritious food for horses. ...oat bran. 2)… …   English dictionary

  • oats — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ whole ▪ rolled ▪ porridge (esp. BrE) … OF OATS ▪ field VERB + OATS …   Collocations dictionary

  • oats — noun (plural) 1 a grain that is eaten by people and animals 2 oatmeal 3 feel your oats informal to feel full of energy 4 get your oats BrE informal to have sex regularly 5 be off your oats BrE informal to have lost the desire to eat …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • oats — Noun. 1. Sperm, with regard to being seeds. Used in phrases such as sow one s oats, which essentially alludes to procreation but at its most basic to having to sexual intercourse. 2. Sex. The informal phrase get ones oats meaning to have sex. E.g …   English slang and colloquialisms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”