Proportion Of Hulls Research Articles

Correlations among seed traits: implications for breeding high oil yield in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Seed traits are critical determinants of oil yield and quality in safflower. In this study, correlations among a set of seed traits (physical, physiological, biochemical) were studied and compared in a subset of germplasm and a pedigree based population (F3). Some previously published correlations among physical (seed size, weight, hull content, hull type) and biochemical (oil content, fatty acid composition) traits in germplasm could be redetected in F3 population and some disappeared. In germplasm, physiological traits (germination, vigour) did not show correlation with oil content while vigour was positively correlated with seed size and test weight. Contrary to observations in germplasm, seed weight was not correlated with hull content and oil content in F3 population. This is an interesting observation because it raises the possibility ofimproving seedweight and oil content simultaneously and without affecting the hull proportion, which is critical for breeding high oil yield in safflower.

Dehulling of coriander fruit before oil extraction

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a summer annual traditionally grown for use as fresh green herb, spice or for its essential oil. The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of crushed fruit and the residue is utilized as feed or processed further to recover the triglyceride. The triglyceride is obtained from the whole fruit by mechanical pressing or by solvent extraction. The coriander fruit has low density due to the void space between the mericarps and the high proportion of hulls in the fruit’s weight. Dehulling oilseeds before oil extraction is commonly employed whenever it is practical to do so, but this technique has not been applied to coriander seeds. This study evaluated the feasibility of dehulling coriander fruits as part of the seed preparation before oil extraction and developed a simple process of dehulling coriander. Coriander fruit with 17.6% oil and 10% moisture was dehulled by first splitting the fruit using an impact huller or a roller mill. Seeds still encased in the split hulls were loosened further using the impact huller. The hulls were removed by screening, aspirating, or using a gravity separator. Dehulled seed with purity >95% was attainable. Dehulling the coriander fruit reduced the weight by 50% and reduced the volume by 60%. Dehulling coriander also doubled the oil content, increased the crude protein by 70%, reduced the crude fiber by 28%, and reduced other carbohydrates by 65%. The coriander fruit and dehulled seeds with purity up to 95% were amenable to screw pressing. Prepressing and solvent extraction would be more appropriate for pure dehulled seeds due to their high oil content. Dehulled seeds must be oil extracted right away to minimize the increase in free fatty acid.

Chemical composition of hulled, dehulled and naked oat grains

The objective of the work was to evaluate the influence of genetic and mechanical removal of hulls from oat grains on their nutrient content. The studies included three cultivars and six lines of oat grains. In grain samples of hulled (5 samples), dehulled (5 samples) and naked (4 samples) oats, the following components were determined: chemical composition (ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and its components) and amino acids and fatty acid composition. The grain of naked and dehulled oats contained significantly more crude protein, crude fat and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and considerably less saturated fatty acids and crude fibre than hulled oats. In addition, the dietary fibre composition was more favourable than the naked oats. The coefficients of nutritional values of the protein (total essential amino acids, essential amino acid index and amino acids score) of naked oats were higher than hulled and dehulled oats. In all the tested oat grain samples, lysine was the most limiting amino acid. The study showed that genetic and mechanical reduction of the proportion of hulls in oat grains resulted in a significant decrease in dietary fibre content and a significant increase in nutrient content.

Tocopherols and phytosterols in sunflower seeds for the human food market

Sunflower seeds for the human food market are derived from both oilseed-type cultivars, with black achenes and low hull proportion, and confectionery-type cultivars, with striped achenes and high hull proportion. The objective of this research was to evaluate tocopherol and phytosterol contents in the seeds of both types of cultivars. Five oilseed-type and seven confectionery-type cultivars were evaluated in replicated field trials in two locations of Morocco and Spain. Large variations were found in hundred-kernel weight (2.6 to 5.5 g), kernel oil content (42.7 to 67.5%), tocopherol content (203 to 397 mg kg –1 kernel), and phytosterol content (2179 to 3555 mg kg –1 kernel). Both types of cultivars did not differ for kernel weight, kernel oil content, or tocopherol and phytosterol profiles. However, oilseed-type cultivars had significantly greater average tocopherol and phytosterol contents, though confectionery-type cultivars with levels of tocopherols and phytosterols similar to the best oilseed-type cultivars were identified. The large variations in kernel tocopherol and phytosterol contents found in this research suggest that there is room for breeding for increased levels of these compounds in order to develop healthier sunflower cultivars for the human food market.

Performance and seed quality of Moroccan sunflower varieties and Spanish landraces used for confectionery and snack food

Sunflower seeds are one of the most important sources of vegetable oil in the world. Additionally, they are used for confectionery and snack food, as well as for bird and pet food. Sunflower germplasm used for food differs between Morocco and Spain. Whereas sunflower seeds used for food in Morocco are mainly obtained from oilseed-type cultivars with black achenes and low hull proportion, those used in Spain derive from confectionery-type cultivars with black and white striped achenes and high hull proportion. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance and seed quality of Moroccan and Spanish sunflower germplasm used for food. Six cultivars from Morocco and six landraces from Spain were evaluated in replicated field trials in Aïn Taoujdate (Morocco) and Córdoba (Spain) in 2009. Seed yield, hundred-achene weight, hundred-kernel weight, achene oil content, kernel oil content, and fatty acid profile were measured. The results showed that confectionery-type and oilseed-type cultivars did not differ in seed yield, hundred-kernel weight and kernel oil content. Since confectionery-type cultivars from Spain performed similarly to local oilseed-type cultivars, they could be introduced to diversify the offer of in-shell sunflower seed snack in Morocco.

Variation in Kernel Hardness and Associated Traits in U.S. Barley Breeding Lines

ABSTRACTKernel hardness is an important trait influencing postharvest handling, processing, and food product quality in cereal grains. Though well‐characterized in wheat, the basis of kernel hardness is still not completely understood in barley. Kernels of 959 barley breeding lines were evaluated for hardness using the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS). Barley lines exhibited a broad range of hardness index (HI) values at 30.1–91.9. Distribution of kernel diameter and weight were 1.7–2.9 mm and 24.9–53.7 mg, respectively. The proportion of hull was 10.2–20.7%. From the 959 breeding lines, 10 hulled spring barley lines differing in HI values (30.1–91.2) were selected to study the associations of HI with proportion of hull, kernel weight, diameter, vitreousness, protein, β‐glucan, and amylose content. Vitreousness, evaluated visually using a light box, showed a clear distinction between hard and soft kernels. Hard kernels appeared translucent, while soft kernels appeared opaque when illuminated from below on the light box. Kernel brightness (L*), determined as an indicator of kernel vitreousness, showed a significant negative correlation (r = –0.83, P < 0.01) with HI. Protein, β‐glucan, amylose content, proportion of hull, kernel weight, and diameter did not show any significant association with HI.

Variation in digestible energy content of Australian sweet lupins (Lupinus angustifolius L.) and the development of prediction equations for its estimation1

Sixty-three male pigs (Landrace x Large White) weighing 49.5 +/- 0.40 kg were used to (1) examine the variation in DE content of Lupinus angustifolius L. in relation to variety and geographical growing region and (2) establish prediction equations for DE content from physical and chemical composition. The pigs were randomly allocated to a 4 x 2 factorial treatment design with respective factors being 4 varieties (cv. Belara, Coromup, Mandelup, and Tanjil) and 2 growing locations (northern and southern agricultural areas of Western Australia). In addition, a wheat control diet was fed as a reference for calculation of lupin DE content. The lupins were ground through a hammer mill fitted with a 4-mm screen to a mean particle size of 888 mum. Pigs were fed their respective experimental diets at 3 times maintenance energy level [3 x (0.458 x BW(0.75))/diet DE] in the study. The DE content of lupins ranged from 13.3 to 15.7 MJ/kg with a mean value of 14.2 MJ/kg. Variety of lupins affected (P < 0.01) the DE content, and lupins grown in the northern agricultural region had a greater DE content than the same lupins grown in the southern agricultural area (P < 0.01). Although the variation in DE content of lupins was mostly caused by significantly greater DE content of cv. Coromup grown in the northern agricultural region, the results suggest that genetic and environmental conditions during the growth of lupins have a significant impact on the utilization of energy in grower pigs. Simple regression analysis showed that prediction of DE content was possible from the proportion of hulls [R(2) = 0.88, residual SD (RSD) = 1.116, P < 0.001], 1,000-seed weight (R(2) = 0.77, RSD = 1.092, P < 0.01), and soluble arabinoxylan content (R(2) = 0.64, RSD = 1.072, P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that adding total nonstarch polysaccharide (R(2) = 0.96, RSD = 1.187, P < 0.01) and soluble nonstarch polysaccharide (R(2) = 0.95, RSD = 1.200, P < 0.01) to the equation along with the proportion of hull and 1,000-seed weight significantly improved the accuracy of prediction. Results indicate that the DE content of lupins varies by up to 2.4 MJ/kg and that the DE content can be predicted with a good degree of accuracy using physical and chemical characteristics.

Antioxidant activity of seed polyphenols in fifteen wild Lathyrus species from South Spain

Antioxidant activity of seed phenolics was studied in the following Lathyrus species: Lathyrus hirsutus, Lathyrus filiformis, Lathyrus sativus, Lathyrus cicera, Lathyrus angulatus, Lathyrus sphaericus, Lathyrus annuus, Lathyrus clymenum, Lathyrus pratensis, Lathyrus ochrus, Lathyrus aphaca, Lathyrus latifolius, Lathyrus setifolius, Lathyrus tingitanus and Lathyrus amphicarpos. Phenolic contents ranged from 3.8 mg/g meal in L. setifolius to 29.2 mg/g meal in L. sphaericus. In general, non-cultivated Lathyrus species contained higher phenolic contents than cultivated ones. A negative correlation between seed size and phenolic contents was observed and was related to the higher proportion of hulls in the smaller seeds. L. annuus possessed phenolics with highest specific antioxidant activity. These phenolics were more than two times more antioxidant than equivalent amounts of phenolics extracted from commercial chickpea, lupin or soy. On the other hand, L. aphaca possessed the highest antioxidant activity per mg of flour extract. This antioxidant activity was twice that observed in same amounts of extracted flours from commercial chickpea, lupin or soy. Results show that studied Lathyrus species are rich in phenolic compounds with higher antioxidant activity than phenolics of widely consumed legumes such as soy, chickpea or lupin. In conclusion, Lathyrus may represent an interesting source of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity that may be useful as natural antioxidants and contribute to revalorize the cultivation of these legumes.

Composition and in vitro digestibility of raw versus cooked white- and colour-flowered peas.

Ten pea cultivars (four white-flowered, Pisum sativum ssp. hortense, and six colour-flowered, Pisum sativum ssp. arvense) grown in Latvia were analyzed and tested in in vitro experiments, as raw and cooked seeds. The colour-flowered (CF) had a greater proportion of hulls and a higher acid detergent fibre (ADF) content than white-flowered (WF) pea seeds (10.7 vs. 8.2% and 92.2 vs. 84.5 g/kg dry matter (DM), respectively). Three out of six CF varieties had a significantly greater amount of protein bound to neutral detergent fibre (NDF) than WF peas. The tannin content was higher in CF than in WF peas (8.46 vs. 0.37 g/kg DM). In vitro protein and amino acid digestibility was about 8% higher in WF than in CF varieties. Cooking decreased the tannin content in CF peas (8.46 vs. 5.51 g/kg DM) but had no effect on in vitro protein digestibility. Heat treatment reduced significantly trypsin inhibitor activity and amount of protein bound to NDF in CF and WF varieties (from 6.50 to 0.52 and from 6.54 to 0.46 trypsin inhibitor units (TIU)/mg DM; from 1.250 to 0.831 and 0.761 to 0.209 g N/100 g NDF, respectively). However, the protein bound to NDF content in pea DM increased in CF and decreased in WF varieties (from 1.525 to 2.145 and from 0.913 to 0.502 g N/kg DM, respectively). Cooking resulted in an increased NDF content over two times in both CF and WF pea seeds (from 122 to 259 and from 120 to 262 g/kg DM, respectively). The results suggest that colour-flowered pea may be considered as an interesting dietary alternative to white-flowered pea since cooking removes trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), decreases tannins, and increases dietary fibre contents.

Effect of genotype and environment on proportion of seed hull and pod wall in lupin

Environmental and genetic effects on hull and pod wall proportions in lupin were examined by analysing data from 125 advanced genotypes at 17 year × site combinations in Western Australia. In Lupinus angustifolius the effect of genotype dominated the variance for seed hull and pod wall percentage and weight per seed, indicating strong heritability for these traits. Smaller but significant effects of site, and year × site and year × site × genotype interaction, were present for hull percentage, and year × site and year × site × genotype interaction effects were present for pod wall percentage. Hull percentage was found to be stable across branch orders within the plant canopy, but pod wall percentage increased and weight per seed decreased from main stem to higher branch orders. The average value of hull percentage was 24.0 in L. angustifolius with a range from 21.8 to 26.2%. L. albus (cv. Kiev Mutant) had a lower value than L. angustifolius at 18.1% and L. luteus cv. Wodjil gave a value of 24.5%. Hull percentage was found to decrease by approximately 0.5% for each 10 mg increase in seed weight. Hull thickness was found to correlate with site seasonal rainfall (r = 0.45*). The correlation between genotype means for hull percentage and pod wall percentage was not significant for this set of breeding lines and cultivars, indicating that selection for one will have little effect on the other. A low but significant correlation was identified between hull percentage and protein percentage (r = –0.38**) and protein + oil percentage (r = –0.46**), showing that selection for lower hull proportion could lead to higher protein and oil concentration in seed.Pod wall percentage averaged 32.0% among L. angustifolius genotypes and was 28.1% in L. albus. At 41.7%, L.�luteus had a very large proportion of dry matter in pod walls. Pod wall percentage was weakly negatively correlated with yield among 122 L. angustifolius genotypes (r = –0.19*). Pod wall percentage tended to increase with longer growing seasons. The results demonstrate the relatively narrow range in hull and pod wall percentage available in breeding lines and cultivars representing the current genetic base of Western Australian material but that the traits are highly heritable and selection is likely to be relatively easy. New sources with lower seed hull and pod wall proportions should be sought from wild and semi-domesticated germplasm or through mutagenesis to broaden the genetic base for these traits. The relationships between these traits and resistance to insects and disease are yet to be determined.

Restricted branching narrow-leafed lupin. 3. Poor establishment

Establishment of restricted branching narrow-leafed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius L.) is often poorer than that of the normal branching counterparts. This study focused on establishment of the cultivars Tallerack and Merrit, as representative of restricted and normal branching lupins, respectively. Establishment from seeds of both genotypes harvested manually was high, but machine harvesting decreased establishment, at some sites markedly, and generally more so in Tallerack than in Merrit. Establishment problems were related to germination and not emergence or seedling vigour. A similar contrast was found when seeds were harvested from several near-isogenic pairs of restricted- and normal branching genotypes. The basis of the generally greater sensitivity of the restricted branching genotypes to harvest damage, and the interaction with environment is not clear. It is not related to differences between genotypes in the seed size, proportion of hull in seeds or seed moisture content, but hull composition and embryo morphology warrant further study. Irrespective of its basis, higher harvest damage to seeds of restricted branching genotypes is likely to be avoided by minimising harvester drum speeds and harvesting at higher seed moisture concentrations.

Ileal digestibility of protein and amino acids of feed peas with different trypsin inhibitor activity in pigs

Ileal digestibility of protein and amino acids was measured in pigs fed 13 round, tannin-free peas samples and related to the following physical, chemical and biological characteristics of these samples: thousand-seed weight, proportion of hulls, starch, fibre, crude protein, ether extract and ash contents, trypsin inhibitor activity and trypsin inhibitor activity per unit of crude protein (TIAP). Each pea sample was included in a diet containing starch, sucrose, minerals and vitamins and fed to four barrows (50 to 100 kg) fitted with an end-to-end ileo-rectal anastomosis. Standardised ileal protein and amino acid digestibilities, except for alanine of peas decreased linearly with increasing TIAP (P &lt; 0.01) and was not affected by fiber content. For example standardized ileal digestibilities values (%) decreased by −0.1975, −0.1617, −0.2171, −0.2630, −0.2029 and −0.3536 per unit of TIAP (expressed in unit of trypsin inhibited per milligram crude protein), respectively, for crude protein and lysine, threonine, methionine, cystine and tryptophan. Key words: Peas, trypsin inhibitor activity, standardised ileal digestibilities, protein, amino acids, pig

Nutritional evaluation of cardoon ( Cynara cardunculus) seed for ruminants

Chemical composition, rumen degradability, and digestibility coefficients of whole cardoon ( Cynara cardunculus L.) seed were studied on two different samples. Ruminal degradability of whole seed was determined by using the nylon bag technique in three rumen fistulated wethers. Four wethers were used to perform digestibility studies on a basal diet (0.5 hay and 0.5 concentrate) and three diets more where cardoon seed was included at rates of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 at the expense of the basal diet in a 4×4 Latin-square design. Additionally, the effects of three substitution rates (0, 0.1, and 0.25) on rumen fermentation patterns and fibrolytic activity, measured by the in sacco degradation of the lucerne hay included in the diets, were established using a 3×3 Latin-square design with three rumen fistulated wethers. Crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) contents of whole cardoon seed were 225, 250, and 338 g kg −1 DM, respectively, the last being highly lignified (acid detergent lignin (ADF)=104 g kg −1 DM) as consequence of its high hull proportion (45%). Rumen DM degradability of whole seed was 56.8%, while CP degradability was 82.9%. Diet digestibility coefficients were maximum for 0.1 substitution rate, except for EE, that showed a linear and quadratic increase through all diets. The estimates of seed digestibility obtained by the substitution and extrapolation methods were only similar for the 0.3 substitution rate. Digestibility coefficients (%) obtained by substitution at this level were 83.8 for CP, 82.8 for EE, 20.3 for NDF, 56.1 for OM, and 59.2 for energy. Seed inclusion in diets up to a 25% had not effect on rumen fermentation patterns or on ruminal fibrolytic activity, in spite of the high content of fat rich in unsaturated fatty acids (85.5% of total fatty acids) of this seed.

Effects of dietary level of barley hulls and fibre type on protein and energy digestibilities of Condor hulless barley in growing swine

Condor barley hulls were added by weight (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g kg −1) to Condor barley kernels to study the effect of added hulls and fibre level on apparent protein and energy digestibilities using the Mobile Nylon Bag Technique (MNBT) with growing castrates. Twenty-four 1-g samples of the hull-kernel mixtures and hulls alone were placed into nylon mesh bags and were inserted through a simple T-cannula in the duodenum of six growing pigs using a 6 × 6 Latin square design. Bags were collected from faeces approximately 24–36 h after insertion and cleaned. Samples were analysed for crude protein (CP), gross energy (GE), and acid-detergent (ADF) and neutral-detergent (NDF) fibre. The addition of hulls to Condor kernels linearly increased ADF and NDF levels in the kernel-hull mixtures. Condor kernels had a crude protein (CP) content of 142 g kg −1; the apparent digestibility of protein was 88.6%. The addition of hulls linearly decreased CP content ( P < 0.01) and CP digestibility in a curvilinear fashion ( P = 0.006). Condor kernels had a GE content of 17.6 MJ kg −1 and a digestibility of 87.4%. Energy digestibility coefficients decreased linearly ( P = 0.27) as the proportion of hulls in the kernel/hull mixture was increased to 200 g kg −1. Regression models based on CP, GE, ADF and NDF were highly significant and produced accurate estimates of protein and energy digestibility in the six Condor kernel-hull mixtures. Correlation coefficients relating predicted CP and GE digestibilities in 25 barley samples using regression equations based on ADF or NDF and data from the kernel-hull mixtures and MNBT digestibilities were 0.53 ( P = 0.006) and 0.79 ( P = 0.0001) for CP and GE, respectively. Condor hulless barley represents a good source of digestible energy and protein for swine and digestibility coefficients could be reliably predicted from regression models using chemical components as independent variables.

The influence of seed size and hull content on the composition and digestibility of rapeseeds in rats

An investigation was conducted on rapeseed samples consisting of eight double low (low erucic acid and low glucosinolate) and two triple low (+ low crude fibre) cultivars. The cultivar with the smallest seed was further divided by screening into small and large seed, and that with the largest seed was further divided into large, medium and small seed (by weight) respectively. The average seed weight of the resulting eleven samples ranged from 2.9 to 8.8 mg per seed. The flower colours of the double low cultivars varied from yellow through cream to white. The samples were analysed for lipid, protein and amino acids, dietary fibre (DF), and individual glucosinolates. Hull contents were measured by manual physical separation. Nitrogen utilization and energy digestibility were determined in balance trials with rats. Lipid content in whole seeds ranged between 434–504 g kg −1 and protein from 395–549 g kg −1 in oil-free seeds. Glucosinolates were between 4.5–13.8 μmol g −1 seeds, and dominated by progoitrin. The hull proportion ranged from 105–172 g kg −1 in the whole seeds, corresponding to 209–304 g kg −1 in their oil-free dry matter. The larger seeds tended to have lower DF content. Pure hulls contained 150–180 g protein kg −1, in which lysine and threonine contents were considerably higher than in the oil-free meal (6.1 vs. 5.6 for lysine and 5.7 vs. 4.5 for threonine, in g per 16 g N). Thus 7–12% of total lysine and 8–14% of total threonine occurred in hulls. The amino acid-N accounted only for 70% of total N in the hulls. The hull contained 130–200 g lipid kg −1, in which non-fatty acid contents were considerably higher than in seed oil. Digestibilities of the seed meals ranged 67–84% for energy and 82–90% for protein (as true digestibility (TD)); both were negatively correlated to the hull and lignin content ( P < 0.05), but TD correlated positively to the protein content ( P < 0.01). The results indicate that the hull and protein content in oil-free meal are the main factors influencing digestibility. The observed variations in seed size and hull proportion provide a scope for further improvement of the content of digestible energy and protein.

Influence of Seed Color and Hull Proportion on Quality Properties of Seeds in Brassica napus L.

AbstractPercentage of crude fiber, hull proportion, 1000‐seed weight, as well as oil and protein content of seeds were studied for the first time in genotypes of Brassica napus L. differing in seed color. Yellow and brown seeds exhibited a 3 % reduction in fiber and hull contents as compared to the commonly occurring black seeded forms. In addition, an average of 2.6 % higher oil and protein content was determined in brown vs. black seeds indicating that breeding for light seeded cultivars of rapeseed has great impacts on the chemical properties of the seed. As a rapid procedure of selection for low crude fiber content in rapeseed, the simple determination of hull proportions proved to be more adequate than the direct chemical analysis of the fiber which is commonly practised.

An analysis of association of components of yield and oil in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Inter-relationships of various component characters with yield and oil content were analysed using 215 entries of safflower from India and U.S.A. Correlation of capsule number per plant and capsule weight with yield per plant was pronounced and they showed large direct effects on yield. All other components influenced seed yield mainly through these two components. Seed size had little effect on yield while seed number exerted a positive influence. The proportion of hull expressed as per cent of the whole seed revealed a highly significant and inverse relationship with oil content and was mainly responsible for the observed variability in oil content in the material. Although negative association was indicated between seed size and oil content, it was observed to be due to the indirect effect of hull content and not due to direct effect of seed size. Interestingly, yield per plant and its major components, number of capsules and capsule weight, revealed a negligible relationship with oil content. Both direct as well as indirect effects of hull percent and yield per plant were responsible for the favourable effect of seed number on oil content. The correlation of plant height, days to first flowering and total crop growth period with yield and oil content was either negligible or low, offering scope for developing early maturing and dwarf varieties with high yield and oil content. Spine index showed a non-significant association with yield and oil content. Capsule number, capsule weight and hull per cent were observed to be the most important components in breeding for higher yield and oil content.

Effects of seed size on oil content and Seedling Emergence in Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius L.) Grown in the Sudan

SummaryAn investigation was carried out in 1964 to determine the effect of seed size on oil content and seedling emergence in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Small, medium and large seeds yielded 37·0, 36·6 and 35·7 per cent oil respectively, and this inverse relationship between seed size and oil percentage (r = −0·9635) was attributed to the increase in proportion of hull in large seeds. In a pot experiment, plants from large seeds emerged earlier than those from small seeds when sown at both 1 and 3 inches depth. Further, plants from large seeds had greater dry weights and leaf areas than the others. The same sort of correlation was also obtained between seed size and early emergence in a field experiment using small, medium and large seeds.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DIPLOID AUTOTETRAPLOID BARLEY VARIETIES

Although the forages from six autotetraploid barley varieties harvested at the 5-leaf and mature stages of growth contained slightly more crude protein, their feeding value appeared inferior to diploid barley forages because of a lower dry matter and mineral content. Autotetraploid seeds exceeded the diploids by about one-third in percentage of crude protein, crude fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium but were lower in moisture and nitrogen-free extract. A greater proportion of hulls was a contributing factor in the higher crude fiber and ash content of the autotetraploids. On the basis of their chemical composition, the autotetraploid seeds would make excellent livestock feeds.Prediction tests indicated that, in spite of the large seed and exceptionally high diastatic activity in the autotetraploids, their yield of barley extract would be too low for malting purposes.