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Harvesting and Storage of Naked Oat
The combine should be adjusted to cleanly thresh the groat from the hull. Cleaner threshing can be achieved when the straw and glumes are dry. The percent of hull-less kernels will be an important quality factor if naked oat enter markets other than the feed industry. Since the hull-less seed is more vulnerable than conventional oat to mechanical injury during harvesting, care should be taken to avoid kernel injury. Injury to the seed, especially to the germ can occur easily, which will result in reducing the germination. Adjustments to the combine to minimize injury to the seed is required. Kernel injury can be minimized by closing the concave and opening the sieves of the combine so that few kernels are running through the return flow and most of the kernels should pass through the cylinder only once. Excess chaff and straw can be cleaned from the uninjured seed after harvest. Naked oat should be harvested at a moisture content of 12%. Harvesting at lower moisture can increase the seed damage, while harvesting at higher moisture can lead to storage problems. Safe long-term hull-less oats is considered at 12% or lower. Grain stored at moisture levels higher than 12% are likely to become rancid.
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