Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




FARM NEWS
UW plant breeders develop an even heart-healthier oat
by Staff Writers
Madison WI (SPX) May 23, 2012


File image.

University of Wisconsin-Madison plant breeders have developed a new oat variety that's significantly higher in the compound that makes this grain so cardio-friendly.

"The biggest thing that stands out about this new variety, BetaGene, is that it's both a high yielding variety and high in beta glucan. Beta glucan is a heart-healthy chemical that is exclusive to oats," says John Mochon, program manager of the Small Grains Breeding Program in the UW-Madison agronomy department.

BetaGene is 2 percent higher in beta glucan on average than other oat varieties on the market. That may not sound much, but it's huge from a nutrition standpoint. A 2 percent bump translates to a 20-percent boost in beta glucan levels in products made from the oat.

Nutrition researchers liken beta glucan to a sponge that traps cholesterol-rich acids in the bloodstream. Consuming 3 grams daily of this soluble fiber-combined with a healthy diet-may lower the blood's level of LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, lessening the risk of coronary heart disease, according to one report from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

UW breeders have increased acreage of the new variety this year in hopes of releasing it for the 2014 growing season.

Wisconsin is among the top oat-producing states. Growers here plant about 300,000 acres of oats each year-about half of that harvested as forage and fed to livestock, the rest harvested for grain-with yields averaging 60 to 70 bushels per acre. But better returns from other crops and other market forces have made oats less attractive to growers, Mochon says. Overall oat acreage in the United States has declined steadily over the years.

"That's why I'm trying to add value to oats. It's one of my goals to reverse that trend," he says. "Things like increased beta glucan, developing forage lines, developing lines that are rust resistant, and developing lines that have a high groat percentage are all part of this effort."

Mochon hopes that BetaGene will help improve demand for oats. The new variety has already generated some interest in the food industry. At least one large milling company paid a visit to Wisconsin to learn more about the experimental variety.

It has taken UW breeders 14 years to bring BetaGene to this point. They performed the original cross in 1998 and nurtured the oat in variety trials until they were confident that it was ready for growers. This is standard operating procedure for vetting experimental crop varieties. It takes 12 to 15 years to prove that they can yield well, fend off disease and have a track record for success before being considered for release, Mochon says.

In this case, there was also an international angle to be considered. Canada is a big oat producer and therefore an important potential market, so Mochon is working to ensure BetaGene also meets requirements for certified, licensed sale north of the border.

.


Related Links
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








FARM NEWS
Where bees are, there will be honey even pre-historic
Madrid, Spain (SPX) May 23, 2012
Amber from Cretaceous deposits (110-105 my) in Northern Spain has revealed the first ever record of insect pollination. Scientists have discovered in two pieces of amber several specimens of tiny insects covered with pollen grains, revealing the first record of pollen transport and social behavior in this group of animals. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of S ... read more


FARM NEWS
SpaceX blasts off to space station in historic first

What Went Up Can Now Come Down With SpaceX Demo Flight

SpaceX capsule completes first tests before ISS docking

SpaceX readies new attempt of rocket launch to space lab

FARM NEWS
NASA Goddard Delivers Magnetometers for NASA's Next Mission to Mars

To the Highlands of Mars

Opportunity Rolling Again After Fifth Mars Winter

Mojave Desert Tests Prepare for NASA Mars Roving

FARM NEWS
Perigee "Super Moon" On May 5-6

India's second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 to wait

European Google Lunar X Prize Teams Call For Science Payloads

Russia to Send Manned Mission to Moon by 2030

FARM NEWS
Beyond Pluto And Exploring the Kuiper Belt

Uranus auroras glimpsed from Earth

Herschel images extrasolar analogue of the Kuiper Belt

New Horizons on Approach: 22 AU Down, Just 10 to Go

FARM NEWS
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust

Cosmic dust rings no guarantee of planets

In search of new 'Earths' beyond our Solar System

Free-floating planets in the Milky Way outnumber stars by factors of thousands

FARM NEWS
Pictures show N. Korea rocket launch upgrade

Internet entrepreneur hits paydirt in space, autos

NASA Team to Test New Vehicle-Descent Technologies

Robotic Refueling Mission Results To Be Presented At NASA Satellite-Servicing Workshop

FARM NEWS
When Will Shenzhou 9 Be Launched

China's space women wait for blast-off

Shenzhou 9 to be ready for mid-June launch?

China confirms plans to build own orbital station

FARM NEWS
NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

NASA Dawn Spacecraft Reveals Secrets of Large Asteroid

NASA trains astronauts to land on asteroid

Amateur astronomers boost ESA's asteroid hunt




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement