Properties of α‐amylase produced by different barley lines and their hybrids during germination

Abstract

The amount of activity, the thermal stability and the calcium retaining ability of a-amylases produced by different barley varieties and their reciprocal hybrids have been investigated. a-Amylase was produced by seeds germinated normally and by de-embryonated seeds incubated with gibberellic acid. The activity of the enzyme has been compared between lines on various bases and the validity of these comparisons is discussed. The inactivation constants of the partly purified enzymes dialysed against EDTA in the presence of trypsin have been calculated and compared. Similarly the rate of thermal inactivation of the enzymes has been investigated. In general, little evidence was found to suggest that heterosis existed in terms of any of the characteristics studied.