Dynamics of β-glucan Accumulation in Oat(Avena sativa L.) Seeds

In this study,four oat(Avena sativa L.) varieties(two hulled and two naked oat),were used to observe the dynamics of β-glucan in oat grains in Experimental Station of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University by sampling every 5 days after anthesis.The results showed that from blossoming to seed mature,total β-glucan concentration in oat grain was increased gradually,and its accumulation rate in first 15 days was faster than that in the second 15 days after anthesis,more than half of β-glucan in matured seed was accumulated in this period,therefore the first 15 days after anthesis could be considered as key period to regulate the β-glucan content in oat seeds by agronomic methods.The accumulation of soluble β-glucan was faster in the 10 days after anthesis,and then slowed down gradually.The β-glucan concentrations in different oat varieties showed much difference.The ratio of soluble β-glucan to total β-glucan content for hulled oats was higher than that for naked oats. Glucose concentration in oat grain increased gradually,and reached the peak at day 15 after anthesis,then decreased gradually.The statistics analysis showed there was no correlation between glucose concentration and β-glucan concentration in oat grains,glucose content could not be the limiting factor for β-glucan synthsis in oat seeds.