STUDIES ON THE METABOLISM OF CEREAL GRAINS: II. THE EFFECT OF AGE AND KERNEL SIZE ON THE COURSE OF RESPIRATION OF WHEAT DURING EARLY GERMINATION STAGES

Abstract

Wheat samples that had been previously stored for periods of 6, 18, and 30 months were kept at 25 °C. (a) in contact with water, and (b) in a moisture-saturated atmosphere for 40-hr. periods during which hourly records of their carbon dioxide outputs were made. The lengths of the previous storage periods did not appear to have had any significant effect on the respiratory activities of the samples. Kernel size, however, was found to have a definite effect on respiration on the basis of the quantity of carbon dioxide produced per unit weight of grain, kernels of large average size giving a lower carbon dioxide output per unit weight of grain than kernels of small average size.