Sheetanu Singh, Pratibha Singh, Priya Pandey, R.N. Kewat and Nikhil Singh Tomar
Abstract
Oats (Avena sativa L.) are recognized as a nutritionally rich cereal crop, particularly valued for their protein, dietary fiber, and mineral content. The present study was conducted to evaluate the biochemical composition and mineral status of fifteen oat genotypes grown under sodic soil conditions of Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The experiment was carried out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications during 2024â25. The results revealed significant variation among genotypes for all studied parameters. Carbohydrate content ranged from 56.38% to 66.27%, while protein content varied between 9.68% and 13.87%, with the highest in NDO-2. Total fat content ranged from 4.91% to 8.32%, and crude fiber content ranged from 9.92% to 11.37%, with Oat-4 showing the highest fiber content. Mineral analysis using ICP-OES indicated wide variability among genotypes. Iron content ranged from 87.51 to 235.87 ppm, zinc from 22.18 to 63.92 ppm, calcium from 785.97 to 1369.09 ppm, potassium from 2783.09 to 5855.24 ppm, and magnesium from 1066 to 2369.13 ppm. Among the genotypes, NDO-952 exhibited superior mineral composition, while NDO-711 showed comparatively lower values. The study highlights that oats grown under sodic soil conditions can maintain substantial nutritional quality. Genotypes such as NDO-952, NDO 2, and Oat-4 were identified as promising for nutritional improvement and biofortification programs, contributing to enhanced food and nutritional security.