Typical seed morphology includes measuring seed length, width, and calculating length to width ratio to describe the seed shape. Adding Area, Perimeter, and the “Area to Perimeter Ratio” (APR) brings additional information on abnormal shapes to detect seed genetics and environmental factors. For illustration, the images on the top right show three rows of six wheat grains that we measured for Length, Width, Length to Width Ratio, Area, and Perimeter, generally done on a 20 to 40 grams sample with 100-micron (0.004 inches) accuracy. The chart below shows the correlated grain shape to the APR value. As you can see in the first row, grains 1 to 6 are nice and clear with an APR of 1 to 1.2, the second row is a mixture of shapes with APR greater than 1.2, and the third row is a mix.
The Wheat shape is very close to the ellipse. A different way to look at shape is based on the calculated area and perimeter, using accurate measurements of length and width to the actual measurement's values.
Vibe QM3i Seed Analyzer is used by customers from crop science through food production to measure, classify and get the critical information for quality, process control, and food safety.
For more information, please contact us at wheat@vibeia.com
Tal Kubi, Software Manager, Vibe Imaging Analytics.