Agronomic, genetic and environmental influences on oat grain quality were investigated. Nitrogen application at the boot stage of crop development did not generally affect physical characteristics of oat grain. Groat protein content increased with the application of nitrogen at the boot stage of crop development but oil content tended to decrease while $ beta$-glucan content was generally not affected. Delayed seeding usually reduced oat grain quality and usually increased protein and $ beta$-glucan contents. Heritability of $ beta$-glucan content, groat percentage and rust resistance were all low; hence, breeding to improve these traits may be difficult. Results of experiments on the inheritance of $ beta$-glucan were not conclusive but it appears that $ beta$-glucan content is under the influence of the endosperm genome. Genotype by environment interactions were significant for grain yield and for protein, oil and $ beta$-glucan contents. The cultivars Ultima and Sylva were superior in mean grain yield across environments compared to other cultivars. The cultivars Laurent and Nova were superior for mean protein content across environments and the cultivar Marion QC was superior for mean oil and $ beta$-glucan contents. AMMI (Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction) analysis would be favoured over the other genotype by environment analyses used in this study because AMMI afforded more information about the genotype by environment interactions.

Pre-harvest glyphosate is often applied to cereal crops, such as oats, to insure uniform grain ripeness at harvest. However, some buyers have claimed that this practice negatively affects oat end product quality. Oat samples were grown in two different growing locations for each of two crop years, and glyphosate was applied at the soft dough, physiological maturity, or not applied. Groat quality and starch quality parameters were analyzed, and rolled oats were produced to analyze end product quality. Groat hardness, groat percentage, and percent plump groats were significantly (P<0.05) affected by glyphosate application at the soft dough stage. However, application of glyphosate at physiological maturity did not appear to detrimentally affect groat starch or end product quality. Therefore, pre-harvest glyphosate application isappropriate for oats providing it occurs after plants reach physiological maturity.

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