Domestication of <i>Avena magna</i> Murphy et Terrell: a wild tetraploid oat species endemic of Morocco
<i>Avena magna</i> Murphy et Terrell (2n = 4x = 28), a tetraploid oat species endemic of Morocco, has a high groat protein content (more than 20%), good resistance to diseases and good adaptability to the Mediterranean edaphic and climate conditions. Moreover, this taxon is morphologically similar to the hexaploid oat species <i>A. sativa</i> and promising for interspecific crosses with <i>A. sativa</i> in order to transfer the domestication syndrome into it. Four hybridization cycles employing four accessions of <i>A. magna</i> and five Moroccan hexaploid oat cultivars of <i>A. sativa </i>were accomplished to domesticate <i>A. magna</i>. Morphological characterization and cytogenetic analysis of derivative hybrid seeds were made to determine their ploidy level and select the seeds with 2n = 28. The overall combinations yielded 81 hybrid plants with 2n varying from 28 to 29, with 58% having 2n = 28, and pollen fertility over 85%. However, 27 hybrids yielded a seed set ranging from 20 to 80%. Selected hybrid plants were subjected to pedigree selection in the field until they reached the 8th generation and assessed for agronomic performance. Three domesticated lines of tetraploid oat <i>A. magna</i> were selected for their good disease resistance. Analysis of groat protein content in the selected hybrids using the Kjeldahl method showed that it was 2 to 3% higher than in their parents.