APPLICATION OF THE SINGLE-KERNEL CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEM TO WHEAT RECEIVING TESTING AND QUALITY PREDICTION

Single-kernel characterization system (SKCS) 4100 measurements on whea t were reproducible and stable and gave good correlations with relevan t reference data, e.g., kernel weight vs. 1,000 kernel weight, kernel hardness vs. particle size index, and kernel moisture vs. oven moistur e. Under field conditions at a receiving station in Coleambally (NSW, Australia), the SKCS 4100 operated faultlessly and the reproducibility of the results was as good as in the laboratory. The measurements wer e completed within the time taken for the normal testing sequence, and the histograms were shown to provide valuable information about the s amples that would not otherwise be available. For example, the distrib ution of moisture contents of individual kernels provides additional i nformation about the samples' potential storage stability. Data on the uniformity of hardness could be interpreted in terms of the potential of the wheat to provide a consistent milling performance. An imprecis e (r(2) = 0.44) but potentially useful calibration was obtained for th e prediction of flour yield under test milling conditions using SKCS 4 100 measurements on wheat. A much stronger correlation (r(2) = 0.83) w as obtained between SKCS data on wheat and the starch damage contents of flours produced on a pilot mill. Thus, the SKCS 4100 has the potent ial for early generation screening of wheat lines for flour yield and starch damage.