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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #132820
Title: CHARACTERISTICS OF SPROUT DAMAGE IN OATS

Author
item Doehlert, Douglas
item MCMULLEN, MICHAEL - PLNT SCI, NDSU, FARGO, ND

Submitted to: American Oat Workers Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/2/2002
Publication Date: 4/2/2002
Citation: Doehlert, D.C., McMullen, M.S. 2002. Characteristics of sprout damage in oats. In: Proceedings of American Oat Workers Conference. p.32.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sprout damage of oats can occur when mature grain is left in the field after maturity and rainfall begins to induce the germination process in the seeds. Although characteristics of sprout damage have been described thoroughly in many grains, including wheat, rye, triticale and barley, such characteristics have not been identified in oats. During our field studies, we have observed that some field sites occasionally exhibited much higher rates of groat breakage during dehulling. Determination of falling number values on groats from these locations indicated that a location with higher rates of breakage also had lower falling number values, suggesting that the higher rates of groat breakage were associated with sprout damage. This hypothesis was confirmed with artificially sprouted oats, where sprouted grain exhibited lower falling number and lower stirring number values, indicating increased alpha-amylase in the sprouted oats. Sprouted oats exhibited much more breakage during dehulling, and decreased beta-glucan integrity, as evaluated from the viscosity of steam grout flour slurries. We hypothesize that the increased breakage was a result of the weakening of cell walls, as evidenced by the loss of beta-glucan integrity.