GREEN SEED COAT COLOUR RETENTION IN LENTIL - University ...

At the time of desiccation or swathing the maturity of the plants was noted
on a 1-9 scale (Table 5.3). A score of one meant that all of the pods on the plant
were green. Two represented the buckskin stage of development where the bottom
one third of the plant had pods tan-coloured and were leathery to the touch. Four
was considered the recommended treatment timing when the bottom third of the
pods had seeds that rattled inside the pod when shaken. The middle third of the
plant had pods in the buckskin stage. The top third had pods in that were still green.
The numbers progress until nine where all of the pods on the plant have seeds that
rattle in the pod when shaken and the plant material was completely senesced with
some seeds shattering out of the pods.
Table 5.3 Rating scale for maturity based on visual descriptions of lentil plants to
assess maturity at pre-harvest treatment application.
Scale Plant
Treatment
Bottom Third Middle Third Top Third timing
1 green coloured pods green coloured pods green coloured pods very early
2 buckskin coloured pods green coloured pods green coloured pods early
3 brown coloured pods green coloured pods green coloured pods early
4 seeds rattle when shaken buckskin coloured pods green coloured pods proper
5 seeds rattle when shaken buckskin coloured pods buckskin coloured pods late
6 seeds rattle when shaken brown coloured pods buckskin coloured pods late
7 seeds rattle when shaken brown coloured pods brown coloured pods late
8 seeds rattle when shaken seeds rattle when shaken seeds rattle when shaken very late
9 seeds rattle when shaken seeds rattle when shaken seeds rattle when shaken very late
plant material completely senesed with pods shattering
A subsample of seed from each plot was analyzed for seed coat colour using
the Acurum ® machine and an index value for each plot was calculated. The
statistical analysis was done using SAS for Windows version 8 (SAS Institute Inc.
Cary, N.C.). A mixed model was used with location, genotype, and genotype x
65