A survey of endosperm starch granules in the genus Hordeum: a study using image analytic and numerical taxonomic techniques

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Abstract
Image analysis was used to quantify size of endospermic starch granules in 39 species of Hordeum. A set of 279 samples, each with ca. 25 replicates, representing most species of the genus was analyzed by various multivariate techniques. Two groups can be distinguished. One group consisting of 6 species (H. vulgare, H. spontaneum, H. bulbosum, H. glaucum, H. murinum, and H. leporinum) is characterized by possessing granules greater than 35 μm in diameter and a bimodal distribution of all the sizes. The second group, consisting of the remaining 33 species, had granules less than 35 μm in diameter, unimodally size distributed. Univariate statistics for each species are summarized in box plots and bar diagrams. Some species can be uniquely identified. The usefulness of starch in Hordeum systematics is discussed.