| Abstract: | Stress cracks usually develop across the grain in rice, although longitudinal cracks also develop occasionally on one axis. On examination of sections of rice grain it was noticed that orientation of elongated cells provided cell wall continuation across the grain and also along the length in the dorsiventral axis. Cracks were found to develop easily along these cell wall lines. Crack formation was difficult in the lateral axis along the length since cell wall continuity was absent. However, when severely dried grains were suddenly wetted cracks developed even in this axis by disruption of cells along the cleavage path. |
