Determination of kernel hardness of Australian wheats by a rapid grinding procedure

Abstract

This paper describes a rapid grinding test for wheat hardness. The test requires 10 g of sample and can be performed at a rate of 20 samples per hour. When test values were correlated with a standard measure of wheat hardness, the particle size index test, coefficients of determination of 97.2 and 97.5 per cent respectively were obtained for 30 wheats each grown at Boort and at Dooen. Hardness values ranged from 2.46 to 6.08 g for the Boort wheats and from 2.11 to 5.18 g for the Dooen wheats. Standard deviations of 0.14 were calculated from duplicate determinations of hardness at each site. Wheat moisture did not significantly affect hardness values for two hard wheats but caused increased hardness values for two soft wheats. The test is considered as precise as the particle size index test and its practical advantages make it a more suitable test for evaluation of wheat hardness in breeding programs.