A New Early-Heading and High-Yielding Forage Oat Cultivar, “Highspeed”

A new oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar, “Highspeed” was developed by Honam Agricultural Research Institute (HARI) in 2005. It was released because of its earliness, high forage yield potential, and good adaptability for late summer sowing. “Highspeed” was selected from the mutants of “Olgwiri” irradiated by 250 Gray of γ-ray emitted from ⁶⁰Co in 1998. Subsequent generations were handled in bulk breeding method and M3 was handled in pedigree breeding method. The line, “OlgwiriM250-B- 268”, was selected for earliness and good agronomic characteristics and designated as “Gwiri48” and finally named as ‘Highspeed’. Over 3 years of regional yield trial, “Highspeed” averaged 6.3 MT/ha in forage production as dry matter when sowed in mid August and harvested in early November. It was superior to the check variety, “Swan” with an 34% of yield-increase. Heading date was October 23 which was 6 days earlier than that of “Swan”. “Highspeed” would be recommended as a summer-sowing oat for producing forage just before winter in Korea.