Abstract
This article presents information on the botanical composition, geographic diversity, and breeding level of the active oat collection of VIR, which has served as the initial material for oat breeding in the Russian Federation more than a century-long period. Here is a description of the genetic collection including alleles of identified genes for various morphological, biological, and biochemical traits. To expand the genetic basis of cultivated oats, the article presents the results of a comprehensive study of all wild species of the genus Avena L. in terms of evolution, phylogeny, and breeding value. It also presents the results of a field study of a wide range of economically valuable traits in the active oat collection, conducted within the VIR experimental network in various ecological and geographical zones of our country. In addition to describing the identified sources of economically valuable traits, it provides an overview of a number of developed donors of semi-dwarfness and lodging resistance with various alleles of the semi-dwarf gene. The article also summarizes the results of fruitful collaboration with Russian breeding institutions in terms of distributing source material based on a comprehensive study of the active oat collection for various oat breeding directions. Thus, the active oat collection of VIR is comprehensively studied, reliably preserved, and sustainably used for breeding purposes in the Russian Federation.