Avena abyssinica

Avena abyssinica, also known as the Ethiopian oat and "Ajja" by Ethiopians, is a member of the family Poaceae. This grain has long been used in Ethiopia and is well adapted to the high elevations and other conditions there. Still a traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known grain has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.

Description

A partly domesticated millet grass. It is an erect annual grass. It grows 5-30 cm high. The flowers are green.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed Edible Uses: Coffee Seed - cooked. The seed ripens in the latter half of summer and, when harvested and dried, can store for several years. It has a floury texture and a mild, somewhat creamy flavour. It can be used as a staple food crop in either savoury or sweet dishes. The seed can be cooked whole, though it is more commonly ground into a flour and used as a cereal in all the ways that oats are used, especially as a porridge but also to make biscuits, sourdough bread etc. The seed can also be sprouted and eaten raw or cooked in salads, stews etc. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

Traditional Uses

The seed or grain can be eaten. Sometimes it is roasted and eaten as a snack. It is harvested and threshed with barley and the 2 seeds used together.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It usually grows on sands or loam. It grows in warm temperate places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, East Africa, Ethiopia*, Middle East, North Africa, Yemen,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species, but it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual in Britain, and might also succeed as an autumn-sown crop. A triploid species, it is rarely cultivated for its edible seed. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 7.6. This species is of potential value in breeding programmes for the cultivated oats (A. sativa), in particular it could pass on pest resistance and drought tolerance. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in full sun. Oats are in general easily grown plants but, especially when grown on a small scale, the seed is often completely eaten out by birds. Some sort of netting seems to be the best answer on a garden scale.

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in early spring or in the autumn. Only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.

Other Uses

Fibre Mulch Paper Thatching The straw has a wide range of uses such as for bio-mass, fibre, mulch, paper-making and thatching. Some caution is advised in its use as a mulch since oat straw can infest strawberries with stem and bulb eelworm. Special Uses

Notes

There are about 25 Avena species.

References (12)

• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 173
• Holden, J.H.W., 1979, Oats, in Simmonds N.W.,(ed), Crop Plant Evolution. Longmans. London. p 86
• Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 1
• Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 116
• Ladizinsky, 1975,

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