EFFECTS ON BARLEY-GRAIN SIZE, TEXTURE AND MODIFICATION DURING MALTING ASSOCIATED WITH 3 GENES ON CHROMOSOME-1

Previous studies have suggested that the presence of the three genes waxy (wx), short-awned (lk2) and naked (n) have an additive effect in increasing beta-glucan content. In the genetic background considered in this paper, apparent additive effects were observed in decreasing grain size and increasing water uptake during steeping. Effects of approximately similar magnitude on milling energy and thousand corn weight were observed for wx and lk2, but these were not consistent across seasons. The waxy gene was associated with a much larger deleterious effect on characters concerned with endosperm modification during malting than lk2. A combination of wx and n did not demonstrate additive effects on milling energy, hot water extract or cell wall modification. It was postulated that removal of the husk reduced milling energy and facilitated water uptake. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited