Alternative dairy products such as oat drinks are increasingly in demand and are almost exclusively imported. For the production of a Swiss oat drink, organic customers are increasingly looking for good-quality edible oats with a light colour and no bitter taste.
For the production of edible oats, specific requirements apply to the choice of variety. The colour of the husk must be white or yellow. The weight per hectolitre should be 54 kg and is influenced not only by the variety but also by the management. Due to the low winter hardiness of oats, mainly spring oats have been offered so far. In organic farming, however, the winter form can be better integrated into the crop rotation and is therefore more popular. The winter form also achieves a higher weight per hectolitre, which is extremely important for use as food oats. Currently, only the variety Eagle is listed on the organic variety list, which is suitable for edible purposes.
The findings from the variety trials should form the basis for a site-adapted choice of variety. The trial network that has been set up will be used for information and field events.
