The previously found wide range in the ratios of avenin or methanol-precipitated fractions to residual proteins was revisited by studying 75 oat varieties, mainly representing landraces from Finland, and included old varieties or selections, cv. Kytö, synthetic hexaploid oats and an Avena strigosa line (HA 71-87). The means of the fraction ratios ranged from 4.17 to 6.46 with significant differences. Samples of 10 narrow-ratio and 10 wide-ratio oats were compared more closely. The wide-ratio sample had significantly higher total protein content and significantly lower content of the methanol-precipitated protein fraction. Therefore, both fractions in general appear to contribute to the ratio of the protein fractions. The wide-ratio sample had significantly lower grain mass and husk-free karyopsis mass. Samples of the extreme ends in the ratios of the protein fractions showed different electrophoretic protein patterns, which was also seen in samples representing the same population of origin. It is evident that polymorphisms in the protein fractions would allow breeding of oat cultivars showing further lowering of proteins putatively toxic to coeliacs assuming oats contain these toxic proteins.

To assess the efficiency of pea roots to mobilize available phosphorus (P) from P compounds we subjected various pea genotypes to a post‐treatment method. Axenic seedlings were raised on P‐deficient semisolid synthetic medium using control blanks without a plant otherwise treated in the same way. AlPO4, CaHPO4, FePO4, apatite and meat‐bone‐meal (MBM) were tested. A genotype was tested from 1‐day through 15‐days of growth. There were differences between the compounds (p < 0.001). P was dissolved from CaHPO4 with apparent maxima at 72‐h intervals and to a significantly lesser extent from MBM. With AlPO4, FePO4 and apatite, the roots did not show a dissolving effect, but, on the contrary, significantly immobilised P. In each case a correlation with an increase in acidity, H+ (p < 0.001) was observed. The correlation was negative in the AlPO4, FePO4 and apatite series. A CaHPO4 treatment combined with apatite or MBM significantly decreased solubility of P from that of CaHPO4 singly. Tests with six additional genotypes showed that all solubilised P from CaHPO4, some to a significant extent from apatite, MBM or slightly from FePO4, but none from AlPO4. The accumulation of nearly water‐insoluble aluminium and iron phosphates in field and virgin soils is partly explainable by the immobilisation through the root action on P, which we have found also with other plant species. The root responses must also have ecophysiological functions distinct from P acquisition.