SECOND MEMORANDUM ON BARLEY GERMINATION

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Abstract
The present paper continues the studies made earlier (this Journ., 1944, 166) towards the solution of general problems arising in the malting of barleys and of particular problems raised acutely by the recent rapid increase in combine harvesters and farm driers. It was shown previously that, by peeling off the husk and the oxygen-excluding “inner skin” of the grain, an estimate can be obtained of the true germinative capacity in 24–48 hours—even when the barleys are extremely dormant in the intact state. During this last season the method has been found satisfactory, and slight alterations have been made in details of the method. As an alternative, germination in oxygen under a range of conditions has been found slower and rather less effective. In searching for a quicker method, a modified bi-selenite staining method appears to give a good indication of germinative capacity in about three hours. Further work on drying indicates that under some conditions a valuable aspect is the partial disinfection of the grain. Bleaching powder steeps have also been tried and found effective in disinfecting the grain and in overcoming partial dormancy, with, under the best conditions, no damage to the grain. A comparative study of varieties has suggested that the degree of dormancy of barleys is of primary importance as a factor in the malting quality of barleys.

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