Oat Grain/Groat Size Ratios: A Physical Basis for Test Weight

Abstract

ABSTRACTMarket value of oat grain is largely determined by test weight or bulk density, yet little is known of the physical basis for test weight in oats. We have hypothesized that a larger sized groat relative to the oat grain (the kernel with the hull) would generate higher test weight oats because the groat is the densest structure in the oat grain. We tested this by measuring oat grain size and oat groat size by digital image analysis for 10 genotypes grown in 10 environments. We also measured other physical characteristics of the oats grains and groats including mean grain and groat mass, test weight, and groat percentage. We found that the groat/ grain size ratio was highly correlated with test weight. Because the oat grain image area was nearly twice that of the groat, we suggest that there are significant amounts of empty space within the oat hull, which detracts from test weight. We also found that oat groat size distributions, like oat grains, fit bimodal distributions better than normal distributions.