Usefulness of Starch Mutants in Improvement of Pearling Quality of Barley Cultivated in an Andosol Upland Field

Abstract

Endosperm texture and pearling quality were investigated in the near-isogenic lines (NILs) with waxy (wax) and fractured starch granule mutant (fra) genes in gray lowland and andosol upland fields. Endosperm vitreosity (steely grain ratio) in non-waxy cultivars and lines was higher in the andosol upland fields, whereas the NILs with wax and fra genes showed complete floury endosperm texture independent of the protein content. The NILs with wax and fra genes showed higher whiteness of pearled grains than the parental lines in both gray lowland and andosol fields. All of the NILs had lower starch content but higher β-glucan content than the parental lines. The fractured starch granule mutant is useful material for breeding of non-waxy cultivars with complete floury endosperm texture and high whiteness of pearled grains.