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Use of a universal testing machine for quantitative evaluation of the shattering habit of rice ( O ryza sativa L .) for whole‐crop silage use
Author(s) -
Matsushita Kei,
Iida Shuichi,
Ideta Osamu,
Sunohara Yoshihiro,
Ishii Takuro
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
grassland science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.388
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1744-697X
pISSN - 1744-6961
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-697x.2012.00251.x
Subject(s) - cultivar , pedicel , silage , crop , agronomy , oryza sativa , habit , universal testing machine , biology , mathematics , agricultural engineering , horticulture , ultimate tensile strength , materials science , engineering , composite material , psychology , biochemistry , psychotherapist , gene
In the breeding of rice cultivars for use for whole‐crop silage, accurate evaluation of shattering is important because its characteristics affect the digestibility of grains by animals. However, measurements of the rice grain pedicel breaking tensile strength ( BTS ) using a conventional shattering testing device, such as the TR ‐ II , are laborious. We tested a universal testing machine ( UTM ), a device used for physical analysis, as a labor‐saving technique for measuring rice grain pedicel BTS . A simple attachment consisting of a holding clip and a polyethylene string to the coupler was prepared to adapt the UTM for BTS measurement. There were significant ( P < 0.001) positive correlations between the measurements using the UTM and TR ‐ II across 19 rice cultivars ranging from “easy” to “very hard” shattering habit. The results indicate that the UTM is appropriate for evaluating grain‐pedicel BTS .