Evaluation of yield traits of different oat germplasms in eastern Qinghai Province

To select high-yield and high-quality oat germplasms suitable for cultivation in eastern Qinghai Province, 21 oat germplasm resources, domestic and introduced from abroad, were studied regarding yield traits, and genetic diversity index, cluster, and affiliation function analyses were applied to comprehensively evaluate the oat germplasm resources. The results showed that there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in hay yield among the germplasms; ZY003178 and ZY004067 were the best, which achieved 16 230 kg·ha ⁻¹ and 16 400 kg·ha⁻¹. The diversity index for all traits associated with forage yield was high, ranging from 1.60 to 1.88. The 21 oat samples were divided into three groups by cluster analysis. Group I was suitable for the selection of parents of high-yielding and resistant varieties. Group II was suitable for selecting excellent parents for multiple target traits. Group III had only few favorable traits. The oat germplasms with the best overall performance were ZY004067, ZY000519, ZY004071, ZY003178, ZY004080, ZY004106, ZY004105, ZY004101, and ZY004108.