The effect of storage conditions on chemical content of raw potatoes and texture of cooked potatoes

Summary Texture of boiled potato tubers (cv. Beate) was studied over several months of storage at either 4 or 8 °C, in relation to dry matter content, non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), methyl groups, glucose, starch and amylose. The dry matter content decreased significantly during storage at 4 °C, but increased at 8 °C due to evaporation. The insoluble NSP contained rhamnose, galactose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, fucose and glucose; the first three sugars decreased significantly after the first 7 weeks of storage. Fracturability and percent compression before break increased during storage at 8 °C, particularly percent compression after 15 weeks. The change in fracturability could partly be explained (R²=43.4%) by the content of the NSP and the increase in percent compression by dry matter (R²=91.8%). Changes in texture during storage at 4 °C, however, were not striking, and could not be explained by changes in the potato components that were analysed.     

Assessment of Potato Dry Matter Concentration Using Short-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The utility of short-wavelength near-infrared spectroscopy (over the wavelength region 750–950 nm), used in a partial transmittance optical geometry, was assessed as a means of estimating the dry matter concentration of potato tubers. The sampling optics did not involve contact with the sample, and could be used on a moving stream of product. A prediction accuracy of R ² (correlation coefficient of determination) of 0.85 with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.52% for intact, whole tubers and R ² = 0.95 and RMSEP = 0.50% for sliced tubers was achieved. We conclude that short-wavelength near-infrared technology using a partial transmittance optical sampling geometry can be a useful tool for rapid assessment of tuber dry matter concentration prior to processing.     

Prediction of maize seed attributes using a rapid single kernel near infrared instrument

Non-destructive measurements of seed attributes would significantly enhance breeder selection of seeds with specific traits, and could potentially improve hybrid development. A single kernel near infrared reflectance (NIR) instrument was developed for rapidly predicting maize grain attributes, which would enable plant breeders to quickly select promising individual seeds. With the overall goal being to develop spectrometric calibrations, absorbance spectra from 904 to 1685 nm were collected from 87 maize samples, with 30 kernels of each sample (2610 kernels total), representing a wide variability in the essential amino acids tryptophan and lysine, crude protein, oil and soluble sugar contents. Average sample spectra were matched to bulk reference values. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) calibration models with cross-validation were developed for both relative (% dry matter) and absolute (mg kernel⁻¹) constituent contents. Similarly, models using bagging PLSR were developed. The best model obtained was for relative crude protein content, with an R²p of 0.75 and a SEP of 0.47%. Kernel mass was also highly predictable (R²p=0.76, SEP=0.03 g). Tryptophan, lysine and oil were less predictable, but showed good potential for segregating individual seeds using NIR. Soluble sugar contents produced poor model statistics. Bagging PLSR yielded models with similar levels of prediction.     

Effects of plastic mulch, sowing date and cultivar on the yield and maturity of forage maize grown under marginal climatic conditions in Northern Ireland

The effects of growing forage maize (Zea mays) with or without plastic mulching treatments on the dry‐matter (DM) yield, cob yield, DM content and starch content was investigated in Northern Ireland in 1996 and 1997. Cultivars differing in maturity characteristics were sown in spring at a range of dates in three replicated plot experiments and were used to compare the effects of two plastic mulches and an untreated control: one plastic mulch completely covered the rows (floating); the other had holes punched in the plastic, through which the plants grew (punch). Between April and October in 1996 and 1997, the Ontario heat units (OU) received were above average at 2489 and 2660 respectively; in those years without plastic mulches, the earliest maturing cultivar, Melody, yielded 11·0 and 13·6 t DM ha^–1, with dry‐matter contents of 214 and 215 g kg^–1 respectively. Mean daily increases in soil and air temperature under plastic mulches of up to 6°C and 11°C, respectively, were closely related to solar radiation. Under plastic mulches, 15% fewer OU were required to reach silking, and 33% more OU were available between silking and harvest. Meaned over three experiments, two years and three cultivars, plastic mulches, when compared with the unmulched control, increased maize yield from 12·0 to 14·7 t DM ha^–1, cob yield from 3·7 to 6·8 t DM ha^–1, dry‐matter content from 230 to 270 g kg^–1 and starch content from 198 to 272 g kg^–1. The effect of plastic mulch on the maturation of the crop was greatest at earlier sowings. In 1997, plants from an early sowing date (10 April) that had recently emerged through the punch plastic mulch were damaged by frost, whereas those in the floating plastic mulch plots were unaffected. When the floating plastic mulch was left on after the six‐ to eight‐leaf stage of the first‐early maize cultivar Hudson, the plants were physically damaged and the yield reduced, but DM and starch contents continued to increase. The increases in yield and dry‐matter content under the plastic mulch were greater in Diamant (second‐early cultivar) than in Melody (first‐early cultivar). It was concluded that, under marginal climatic conditions, plastic mulches ought to be used to improve the reliability of early cultivars rather than growing later maturing cultivars.     

The nitrogen response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the field: nitrogen uptake and yield, harvest index and nitrogen concentration

Summary The response of potato to different rates of nitrogen supply ranging from 0–40 g m⁻² N was studied in five field experiments near Wageningen. NL (52⁰ North). In total two late potato cultivars and two sites were used during successive seasons. The results are summarized in a set of regression equations separately for total crop and tubers. The relation between nitrogen taken up (g m⁻²) in the total crop and total dry matter production (g m⁻²) could be described with the exponential equation: 1942–1900 * 0.93^X (r²=0.953, n=62). Nitrogen concentrations in the dry matter increased linearly with nitrogen uptake. Harvest indices for dry matter and nitrogen tended to decline with increase in N uptake. Cultivars differed only in the effect on N on tuber dry matter concentration. The relation between nitrogen uptake and nitrogen supply could be fitted with quadratic regression models. but coefficients were influenced by site and season.     

High Carbon Requirements for Seed Production in Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]

Abstract

In soybeans, increase in the dry weight of seed (IWS) during the seed-filling period (SFP) is nearly half that of the whole plant (IWP). Hence, the contributions of assimilate during SFP to seed growth in soybeans is apparently lower than that in other cereal crops. However, analysis of the assimilate budget for seed production based on dry matter could be misleading in soybeans because the carbon (C) contents of seed and that of other organs are different due to the differences in lipid and protein content and respiration loss in each organ results in underestimation of the C contribution to seed production. In field soybeans, irrespective of shading and thinning, IWS/IWP and harvest index (HIW) for dry weight were slightly lower than ICS/ICP and HIC for C, respectively. Of the ¹³C fed at the vegetative stage and early SFP, 3.4% and 16.4%, respectively were accumulated in the seed, 0.9% and 28.2%, respectively, in the pod shell and 26.8% and 37.8%, respectively were respired before maturity. Ninety-six percent of seed C was assimilated during the SFP. Respiratory loss of ¹³C fed at the early SFP was larger than that from ¹³C at the vegetative stage, showing that seed production requires much more C than leaf or stem growth. These results suggest that the difference in C contents between plant organs has little effect on the estimation of assimilate partition into soybean seeds based on dry matter, and high respiration loss for seed growth reduces the partition of dry matter into seeds.     

Specific Gravity,Dry Matter and Starch Concentration of Different Potato Cultivars as Affected by Arsenic Contamination

Arsenic (As) contamination of the soil may affect the quality of potato tubers. When assessing the processing quality of potato cultivars, specific gravity (SG) is the measurement of choice for estimating dry matter (DM) and starch concentrations in the potato tubers. In this study, effects of the As concentration in the soil on quality parameters (SG, DM, starch concentration and total soluble solids (TSS)) of 11 potato cultivars in Bangladesh were investigated in an outdoor pot experiment with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and three blocks, at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November, 2012 to March, 2013. The results showed highly significant differences between cultivars in quality parameters, except SG. Both As levels (25 and 50 mg As kg^?1 soil) reduced the DM and starch concentration in the tubers of the potato cultivars compared to the control (0 mg As kg^?1 soil), but had no significant effects on SG and TSS. ‘Lady Rosetta’ showed the highest SG (1.093 g cm^?3), DM (23.02%) and starch concentration (16.60%). The lowest SG (1.065 g cm^?3), DM (17.04%), and starch concentration (10.96%) was found in ‘Granola’. Highest TSS (5.91) was found in ‘Jam Alu’ while ‘Meridian’ had the lowest °Brix value (3.76). Bangladeshi potato farmers will benefit from the information generated regarding potato cultivation under As affected areas.     

Accumulation of mixed linkage (1 → 3) (1 → 4)-β-d-glucan during grain filling in barley: A vibrational spectroscopy study

The accumulation of mixed linkage barley (1 → 3) (1 → 4)-β-d-glucan (BG) during grain filling at eight stages was studied using standard reference methods and infrared spectroscopy. Two mutant barley genotypes having higher (starch mutant lys5f) and lower (high lysine mutant lys3a) BG content than the normal control Cork were studied. The Cork and lys3a genotypes showed a linear BG accumulation throughout the grain filling to reach a maximum of approximately 6 and 4% BG (w/w) dry matter, respectively. However, lys5f mutant exhibited an exponential increase in BG synthesis to a maximum of approximately 18% BG (w/w) dry matter 30 days after flowering (DAF), seemingly compensating for a decreased synthesis of starch.     

Calibration of two techniques for estimating herbage mass

Two non-destructive techniques for estimating herbage mass (dry matter yield) were evaluated during the growing season of 1988, from April to September. Samples were collected from four sites, with ten observations made on twenty-five days at each site, giving a total of 612 sample units. Observations were obtained from each unit, either with a plastic rising-plate meter (335) or with a metal rising-plate meter (227). In addition, measurements with a single-probe capacitance meter (Pasture Probe) were also made on all units. The usefulness of the non-destructive methods for predicting the actual yield was evaluated by calibrating them by means of regression on the yield determined by mowing 1·5-m² quadrats, weighing, subsampling and drying the grass. The yield measurements were logarithmically transformed to correct for the proportionality of the residual variance with the mowed dry matter yield. Logarithmic transformation of the sensor measurements improved the linearity of the calibration relationships. The combination of one rising-plate meter and the Pasture Probe resulted in a linear and additive model with a larger adjusted R² than models with just one of these two sensors. The addition of the predictors ‘external moisture’ (e.g. dew), ‘day number after mowing’ and ‘site number’ significantly increased the goodness of fit of many models. In some models addition of the logarithm of the ‘dry matter percentage’ was significant. Other predictors in these models such as “Julian day number” and “grazing” proved not to be significant. The adjusted R²s in the best models for the metal and the plastic discs were 89·7% and 87·3% respectively. The corresponding coefficients of variation were 26·2% and 26·1%. The results show that further research is necessary to refine the techniques or to develop new techniques to estimate the dry matter yield, before the sensors can be usefully integrated into a management system.     

Comparison of active and passive spectral sensors in discriminating biomass parameters and nitrogen status in wheat cultivars

Several sensor systems are available for ground-based remote sensing in crop management. Vegetation indices of multiple active and passive sensors have seldom been compared in determining plant health. This work describes a study comparing active and passive sensing systems in terms of their ability to recognize agronomic parameters. One bi-directional passive radiometer (BDR) and three active sensors, including the Crop Circle, GreenSeeker, and an active flash sensor (AFS), were tested for their ability to assess six destructively determined crop parameters. Over 2 years, seven wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were grown with nitrogen supplies varying from 0 to 220 kg ha⁻¹. At three developmental stages, the crop reflectance was recorded and sensor-specific indices were calculated and related to N levels and the crop parameters, fresh weight, dry weight, dry matter content, as percent of dry weight to fresh weight, N content, aboveground N uptake, and the nitrogen nutrition index. The majority of the tested indices, based on different combinations of wavelengths in the visible and near infrared spectral ranges, showed high r²-values when correlated with the crop parameters. However, the accuracy of discriminating the influence of varying N levels on various crop parameters differed between sensors and showed an interaction with growing seasons and developmental stage. Visible- and red light-based indices, such as the NDVI, simple ratio (R₇₈₀/R₆₇₀), and related indices tended to saturate with increasing crop stand density due to a decreased sensitivity of the spectral signal. Among the destructively assessed biomass parameters, the best relationships were found for N-related parameters, with r²-values of up to 0.96. The near infrared-based index R₇₆₀/R₇₃₀ was the most powerful and temporarily stable index indicating the N status of wheat. This index was delivered by the BDR, Crop Circle, and AFS. Active spectral remote sensing is more flexible in terms of timeliness and illumination conditions, but to date, it is bound to a limited number of indices. At present, the broad spectral information from bi-directional passive sensors offers enhanced options for the future development of crop- or cultivar-specific algorithms.     

Simulation of seasonal stalk water content and fresh weight yield of sugarcane

Stalk water content is an important variable for a sugarcane simulation model as sugar industries in many countries use cane yield and sucrose content on a wet mass basis for payment and yield reports. The prime objective was to develop a stalk water content module (SWCM) that can be incorporated into a sugarcane simulation model. SWCM starts from consideration of the dynamics of water concentration (ρ, g water g⁻¹ dry matter) along stalks and through seasons. The quantities of stalk water were modelled separately for the top and basal sections of the millable stalks. Field observations showed that the stalk water concentration (ρ) declined from 7.8 to 11.8 in the top internodes to 1.6–2.9 g water g⁻¹ dry matter in bottom internodes. In the basal section, ρ ranged from 1.98 in winter to 2.83 g water g⁻¹ stalk dry matter in summer. A two-parameter equation was used to model ρ and resulted in a range of coefficients of determination from 0.8 to 0.97 for six varieties. The SWCM was developed to simulate both the effects of seasonal variation and the age of internodes on the quantity of stalk water. The module was incorporated into a process oriented model of sugarcane growth for validation against field observations in tropical and subtropical areas of Australia and Hawaii, USA. Comparison of observed yields with cane yield simulated by the model that included the SWCM, gave an average of R² of 0.95, compared with the average of R² of 0.97 for simulation of stalk dry matter. The average relative root mean squared error (RMSE) was 15.2% in simulation of cane yield and 15.1% for simulation of cane dry weight. The module can be readily incorporated into a model that simulates sugarcane dry matter so that commercial crop yield can be estimated.     

Estimating theoretical radiation‐use efficiency for kale crops

Establishing the radiation‐use efficiency (RUE) of forage brassica crops will aid our understanding of their photosynthetic performance. The concept of RUE has been developed for cereals and legumes, but there is limited information for forage brassica crops. Three experiments defining the influence of different sowing dates on ‘Gruner’ kale (Brassica oleracea acephala L.) dry matter production were conducted at Hastings (Hawkes Bay) and Lincoln (Canterbury) in New Zealand between 2002 and 2009. These trials were also evaluated for radiation interception and RUE. Delayed sowing increased RUE in two out of three experiments across sites: from 1·93 g MJ^?1 photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for December‐sown crops to 2·72 g MJ^?1 PAR (P < 0·001) for January‐sown crops at Hastings and from 1·50 for September‐sown crops to 2·00 g MJ^?1 PAR (P < 0·001) for November‐sown crops at Lincoln. The different sowing dates and years of experimentation provided a range of mean temperatures (from 13 to 16°C) during the vegetative period. Across years and sowing dates, RUE was strongly correlated with mean temperature (R² = 0·81) and sowing date (R² = 0·64), but weakly correlated with season length (R² = 0·11) and dry matter (R² = 0·002). There was also a strong correlation (R² = 0·83) between sowing date and mean temperature. The increase in RUE with delayed sowing was therefore mainly attributed to increased mean temperatures. Radiation‐use efficiency increased at about 0·41 g MJ^?1 for each 1°C increase from 13 to 16°C.     

Yield components,dry matter,LAI and LAD of soybeans in Northeast China

Pod and seed number are the most important yield components of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD) and dry matter accumulation during the reproductive period strongly influence yield components. Our objectives were: to investigate if differences in yield components exist among genotypes differing in both yield and maturity; and to examine the dynamics of dry matter accumulation, LAI, and LAD during the reproductive period for the high-yielding genotypes. Sixteen soybean genotypes within three maturity groups were grown in Hailun, China in a randomized complete block design with three replications, across 2 years. Maturity groups were selected to differ by approximately 7 days in mean days to R₇ (5% of pods are mature pod color). Dry matter accumulation, LAI, and LAD were measured at R₂, R₄, R₅, and R₆ stages, respectively in each year. Yield, yield components and harvest index were determined at maturity. Late maturity genotypes had higher yield than early ones. Majority of the seed yield and components were positioned in the middle and upper part of the plant. Both pod number and seed number were higher in high-yield genotypes in each group. Seed number per pod contributed to increased yield in the high rainfall year but was not related to the variation in yield of the genotypes evaluated. Significant variations were found for LAI, LAD and dry matter within each maturity group. Higher accumulation of dry matter, higher LAI and LAD during reproductive stages were found to be closely related to high-yield genotypes in each group. No relationship was found between harvest index (HI) and seed yield.     

Effect of formic acid and a bacterial inoculant on the amino acid composition of grass silage and on animal performance

An Italian ryegrass and hybrid ryegrass sward was harvested on 11 May 1994. The mean dry‐matter (DM) content of the herbage was 197 g kg^–1 fresh matter (FM), and mean nitrogen and water‐soluble carbohydrate contents were 20 and 272 g kg^–1 DM respectively. Approximately 72% of total nitrogen (TN) was in the form of protein‐nitrogen. The herbage was treated with either no additive, formic acid (3·3 l t^–1) (Add‐F, BP) or inoculant (2·3 l t^–1) (Live‐system, Genus) and ensiled in 100 t silos. Changes in effluent composition with time showed that silage fermentation and protein breakdown were delayed by treatment with formic acid. Formic acid and inoculant treatments also inhibited amino acid catabolism during ensilage. All silages were well fermented at opening with pH values < 4·0 and ammonia‐N concentrations of ≤ 50 g kg^–1 TN after 120 d ensilage. Treatment had an effect on protein breakdown as measured by free amino acid concentration, with values of 21·5, 18·2 and 13·2 mol kg^–1 N at opening (191 d) for untreated, formic acid‐treated and inoculated silages respectively. Amino acid catabolism occurred to the greatest extent in untreated silages with significant decreases in glutamic acid, lysine and arginine, and increases in gamma amino butyric acid and ornithine. The silages were offered ad libitum without concentrate supplementation to thirty‐six Charolais beef steers for a period of 69 d (mean live weight 401 kg). Silage dry‐matter intakes and liveweight gains were significantly (P < 0·05) higher on the treated silages. Silage dry‐matter intakes were 7·42, 8·41 and 8·23 kg d^–1 (s.e.d. 0·27) with liveweight gains of 0·66, 0·94 and 0·89 kg d^–1 (s.e.d. 0·058) for untreated, formic acid‐treated and inoculated silage‐fed cattle respectively. In conclusion, additives increased the intake of silage and liveweight gain by the beef steers, and it is suggested that this may be caused in part by the amino acid balance in these silages.     

Starch swelling power and amylose content of triticale and Triticum timopheevii germplasm

Triticale (× Triticosecale Whittmack) and Triticum timopheevii have undergone little selection relative to other grains for quality characters, including starch amylose content. Using starch swelling power (SSP) in water and spectrophotometric analysis of the iodine binding ratio, 247 lines of triticale and 20 lines of T. timopheevii were screened for amylose content. Following this, the expression of the starch-forming protein granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) in triticale was investigated by SDS-PAGE in the eight highest and eight lowest SSP lines. A strong correlation (R² = 0.8174) was found between iodine binding and SSP. The SSP of T. timopheevii lines ranged from 13.7 to 16.7, indicating an approximate range of amylose content from 28.1 to 33.8%: a small range within typical results from commercial wheat cultivars. The SSP of triticale ranged from 12.5 to 23.6 suggesting amylose content ranged from 12.8 to 35.1%: a much wider range reflecting the contribution of both the wheat and rye genomes. It appeared that expression of GBSS-4A was down-regulated in low amylose lines. Therefore there is significant potential to select for amylose content in triticale to increase quality in both the animal and human feed markets.     

密度对夏玉米干物质积累的影响及其归一化模拟模型的建立

在小区试验条件下,以新玉9号和中糯301为材料,设6个种植密度(13.5万、11.25万、9万、6.75万、4.5万和2.25万株/hm2),测定其干物质积累动态和产量,分析密度对夏玉米群体干物质积累的影响,并建立积温变量的干物质积累动态模型。结果表明,南疆夏玉米前期干物质积累速度快、积累量较高而后期积累速度慢、积累量较少。种植密度越大,干物质积累的最大增长速率越大,但其高值维持的时间越短,不利于子粒灌浆。中糯301较新玉9号对种植密度反应敏感,分别在9万株/hm~2和11.25万株/hm~2时产量最高。建立了基于归一化的苗后积温为变量的相对DMA预测的Richards方程:y=1.052 1/(1+e~(1.075 7-6.222 5x))~(1/0.089 0),R~2=0.991 4,模拟准确度为0.967 6~1.022 7,精确度在0.965 0**~0.993 8**,具有较好的模拟效果。     

Forage soybean performance in mediterranean environments

Livestock producers are interested in growing forage soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in summer and ensiling alone or in mixtures with corn or sorghum. Four row spacings (20, 40, 60, and 80 cm), four seeding rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg seeds per hectare) and four harvesting stages for forage production (V₅, R₂, R₄, and R₆) were evaluated under irrigated conditions in a randomized split–split plot design with three replications in three different locations in Turkey with Mediterranean-type climate in 2004 and 2005. Dry matter (DM) yield was significantly reduced with increased row spacings in all locations. There was no significant difference between 20, 40, or 60 cm row spacings while 80 cm provided the lowest yield. Increased seeding rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg seeds per hectare) generally increased DM yield, although the most suitable row spacing varied by location. DM yield was significantly affected by harvest maturity increasing with advancing maturity in all locations. DM constituent plant components were generally unaffected by row spacing and seeding rate but harvest maturity did significantly affect DM partitioning. As expected, leaf blade fractions decreased continually as plant maturity increased, while stem and flower plus pod fraction increased from V₅ to R₆. In general, row spacing and seeding rate did not significantly affect crude protein, degradable protein, and in vitro dry matter digestibility of soybean forage, but all decreased significantly with advancing maturity. These studies demonstrated soybeans managed for forage in a Mediterranean-type environment can average of 9.3 and 11.3 t ha⁻¹ dry matter yield at R₄ and R₆ stages, respectively, while averaging 13.3% crude protein, 8.2% degradable protein, and 60.6% in vitro dry matter digestibility.     

外源海藻糖对高温胁迫小麦干物质积累和籽粒灌浆的影响

为明确海藻糖喷施时期及浓度对高温胁迫小麦产量形成的影响,于2020—2021年度以扬麦18、烟农19为供试品种,设置三个海藻糖浓度5 mmol·L^-1(C1)、10 mmol·L^-1(C2)、15 mmol·L^-1(C3),分别在抽穗期(T1)、开花期(T2)、花后10 d(T3)喷施海藻糖,以喷施等量清水为对照,花后15～19 d进行高温胁迫,分析不同处理对小麦干物质积累、分配和产量的影响。结果表明,T1时期喷施海藻糖较T3和T2时期产量增加了0.64%和2.54%。C3浓度处理较C2和C1浓度处理产量提升了2.35%和10.30%;T1时期喷施C3浓度海藻糖小麦产量最高,与对照相比烟农19产量增加了15.87%,扬麦18产量增加了17.75%。T1处理下籽粒干物质分配比例较T2、T3处理分别高0.24%和0.15%,C3处理较C1、C2处理分别增加了3.07%和0.82%;海藻糖处理较对照提高了营养器官中干物质向籽粒的转运量,提升了高温胁迫下小麦干物质积累速率、小麦籽粒平均灌浆速率、有效灌浆时长、最大灌浆速率,延缓了...     

The effect of chloride fertilization on blackspot susceptibility and other quality characteristics and on yield of potato

Summary Trials were carried out in two years on a sandy loam and on a heavy clay soil with two cultivars to examine the potential of chloride fertilization as a tool to reduce blackspot susceptibility of potatoes and to investigate other effects on yield and quality. Blackspot susceptibility was significantly reduced in cv. Marijke, but not in cv. Bintje as a result of increasing doses of applied chloride from 0 to 400 kg ha1. Dry matter concentration, assessed as under-water weight, was reduced by chloride in both cultivars at the two locations. Fry colour of French fries was improved by chloride. Applying 400 kg ha⁻¹ Cl⁻ to both soil types decreased net tuber yield >35 mm of cv. Bintje but not of cv. Marijke. Chloride caused slower emergence, retarded crop development and less stems per plant on the sandy loam soil but not on the heavy clay soil.     

Modelling the Contribution ofAlpha-Amylase,Beta-Amylase and Limit Dextrinase to Starch Degradation During Mashing

Response surface methodology was used to determine the levels ofalpha-amylase,beta-amylase and limit dextrinase enzymes required for efficient conversion of starch to fermentable sugars during mashing. Micro-scale mashes with purified barley starch and malt enzymes were performed in a Brewing Research Foundation mash bath, and mash liquors were analysed for solubilised starch, reducing sugars (neocuproine assay) and fementable sugars (anion exchange HPLC). Fermentable sugars in the mash liquor were positively correlated with reducing sugars (R²=0·94) and the percentage of starch solubilised during mashing (R²=0·68). A multiple regression equation relating the levels of the three starch degrading enzymes to the percentage of starch hydrolysed to fermentable sugars gave a good fit to the second order response surface (R²=1·00, RMSE=1·37%). Addition of limit dextrinase to the mashes resulted in a substantial increase in levels of fermentable sugars, and limit dextrinase showed a synergistic effect in increasing levels of maltose in the mash liquor when combined with high levels ofbeta-amylase. The efficiency of any one starch degrading enzyme in a mash is influenced by the presence of other starch degrading enzymes. Commercial malts contain excess levels ofbeta-amylase and below optimal levels of limit dextrinase. Malt extract may not be a good indicator of the level of fermentable carbohydrates produced during mashing.