SPY Grain Grader Application Note
Kernel Morphology Determination
Overview
Grains and seeds of all types have specific physical sizes and shapes which are based on genotype and affected by growing conditions. Size and shape uniformity is desirable due to its effect on milling and flour yield.
In breeding programs, morphological attributes determine which lines are selected and whether trait enhancement has been achieved. On a per kernel basis, the SPY measures a range of morphological features such as area, length, width, perimeter, aspect ratio and diameter.
Kernel Morphology Results
Each kernel or seed is digitally quantified in two dimensions and reported by:
Area - pixels within a defined intensity
Length - caliper length along major axis of the object
Width - caliper length along minor axis of the object
Perimeter - length of the object’s outline
Aspect - ratio between the major and minor axis of ellipse equivalent to the object (always >1)
Diameter - average length of diameters measured at 5 degree intervals around the object’s centroid
Roundness - perimeter squared divided by (4*pi*area)
Integrated Optical Density - area * averge optical density
