In India, oats have been increasingly gaining importance as a good fodder and feed resource. This obviously necessitates its genetic improvement for which a wider genetic base is an essential pre-requisite. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the need for new plant genetic resources and indicate the germplasm resource centres. Sources of genes for specific traits, viz., production traits, quality traits, disease resistance, drought resistance, winter hardiness, lodging resistance, photo-insensitivity, high growth rate, and high physiological efficiency have been pointed out.
