Lysine and nitrogen measurement by infra-red reflectance analysis as an aid to barley breeding

Abstract

SUMMARYThe feasibility of measuring lysine and protein nitrogen in barley using an infra-red reflectance analyser was examined. This is a very rapid technique, requiring no manipulative skills, and measuring several components simultaneously using milled grains. The results show that this instrument is sensitive to changes in lysine and protein nitrogen and can be calibrated to measure these components to a high degree of accuracy. It is shown that the gross morphological and biochemical abnormalities of high lysine mutants do not affect these measurements, indicating that this method is suitable for the rapid screening of material from breeding programmes designed to improve the lysine content of barley proteins.