Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a cereal species widely used for human food and livestock feed. It is rich in primary metabolites (e.g., protein, carbohydrate, and fibre) as well as in many secondary compounds (e.g., fructo-oligosaccharides). A germplasm evaluation was carried out to determine the genetic diversity, using univariate and multivariate analyses, and to define an oat ideotype for grain and fodder production adapted to the Mediterranean environment. A total of 109 genotypes were studied under field conditions in Foggia (southern Italy) over two growing seasons (2008-2009 and 2009-2010). All of the accessions were characterised according to 13 bioagronomic traits. Accessions were very different for these evaluated traits, with wide variabilities found particularly for seed yield and fructo-oligosaccharide concentration (CV = 37%). Principal component analysis showed that the first six axes accounted for 81% of the variability. Productivity characteristics and heading time were the major sources of diversity among these oat populations. Clustering entries identified nine groups based on their morphological and agronomic properties. The relationships found among traits can help to determine which groups of genotypes are better adapted to specific environmental conditions and to identify ideotypes for developing varieties for different purposes such as for food or forage. 1. Introduction Oat (Avena sativa L.) is used throughout the world for human food and animal feed, and it is frequently grown as a dual-purpose crop (grain harvest after grazing or forage cutting) [1]. As a pure stand, or also associated with the most common annual legumes, oat is one of the major forages grown and a main component of crop rotation in Mediterranean farming systems [2]. In recent years, its agronomic and nutritive values, as well as the increase in the popularity of organic agriculture due to its ability as a winter cover crop in no-till rotations, have led to renewed interest in this crop. Furthermore, the demand for oat for human consumption has increased, particularly because of the demonstrated dietary benefits of oat whole-grain products [3]. Oat is considered to be a nutritious source of protein, carbohydrate, fibre, vitamins, and minerals as well as of compounds with beneficial effects on health (e.g., polymers of fructose, and antioxidant molecules) [4]. In particular, oat grain has a high concentration of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), soluble nonstructural carbohydrates made of short chains of fructose molecules [5]. FOS have been termed “prebiotics”, because
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