Use of a universal testing machine for quantitative evaluation of the shattering habit of rice (Oryza sativa L.) for whole-crop silage use.

摘要

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.