: This review of starch is concerned with its industrial uses, origins and structure. The current demand for starch is met by a restricted range of crops, the most important of which are potatoes, maize, wheat and tapioca. Improvements in the properties of starches for industrial uses can be achieved through chemical and physical modiÐcation of extracted starch and through the manipulation of starch biosynthesis in the plant itself. We examine starch structure and composition in relation to its use and exploitation by industry. The current understanding of physiological and biochemical mechanisms inÑuencing starch formation in higher plants is described. This information is set in the context of the need to know the physical/chemical speciÐcation for each individual starch and to understand the genetic control of these characteristics in order to identify target genes for manipulation.1998 SCI. ( J Sci Food Agric 77, 289È311 (1998)

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The number of endosperm cells in caryopses 30 'days' after anthesis was determined and a positive correlation was found between endosperm cell number and 1000 grain weight, and between endosperm cell number and dry grain volume in a number of cultivars of field-grown barley. The genetic factors influencing grain weight are discussed in relation to these results and to observations made on transverse sections of immature caryopses.