ABSTRACT
The sprouting of intact heads of three varieties of wheat was studied under controlled conditions. Three approaches to assessing sprouting damage; visual assessment of sproutinq, estimation of alpha-amylase and determination of endosperm modification were compared. Sprouting assessed visually, increased with increasing temperature, while the rate of alpha-amylase production or endosperm modification was not always increased by higher temperatures. The relationship between alpha-amylase and sprouting or endosperm modification was dependent upon the wheat variety and the temperature indicating that determination of alpha-amylase was the only reliable method for assessment of sprouting damage.
