STUDIES IN BARLEY AND MALT: I. EFFECTS OF WATER ON GERMINATION TESTS

Abstract

In a study of factors responsible for variation in the results of barley germination tests, the effects of varying the amount of water available to the corns during such tests have been examined. It has been found that this factor profoundly influences the final percentage germination, because an early stage in germination involves a process which in some samples takes place slowly and which in these barleys can be inhibited by rapid absorption of an excess of water. It follows that the amount of water applied to the seeds in germination tests must be carefully controlled if reproducible results are to be obtained.