‘Every seed counts’: Study compares drying conditions for seed rice performance

Arkansas Rice Processing Program employs X-ray imaging to examine fissuring

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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image: 

Griffiths Atungulu, left, professor and director of the Arkansas Rice Processing Program, left, and Ph.D. student Samuel Olaoni in the food science department, examined X-ray images of rice to quantify fissuring after different drying conditions as part of a study on impact of high-temperature drying on seed rice germination and seed vigor.

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Credit: U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Paden Johnson

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Rice grown for seed rice was the focus of a yearlong investigation by the Arkansas Rice Processing Program using X-ray imaging to determine the impact of higher drying temperatures.

While quality defects like opacity and small cracks called fissures are key measures for rice grown to eat, rice saved for seed is evaluated on two critical factors: germination potential and seed vigor.

Germination potential measures what percentage of rice seed will germinate and sprout, according to Griffiths Atungulu, director of the Rice Processing Program for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Seed vigor indicates how fast it will germinate and whether the seedling will develop into a healthy plant.

“Good seed quality directly influences crop success and is crucial in improving productivity levels,” said Atungulu, who is also a professor in the food science department for the experiment station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. “As we often say here, every seed counts.”

Samuel Olaoni, a Ph.D. student in the food science department under Atungulu’s advisement, sought to determine the optimum drying parameters for seed rice. For two long grain rice varieties, the research showed that moisture content at the time of harvest had more of an effect on both germination and seed vigor than hot-air drying temperatures.

His study, “Use of X-ray imaging to elucidate impacts of drying conditions and storage on seed rice germination and vigor,” was published in the journal Drying Technology in July. Atungulu and Kaushik Luthra, assistant professor of postharvest processing in the biological and agricultural engineering department, were co-authors.

The study calculated germination rates of about 95 percent with good seed vigor when harvested at 13 to 16 percent moisture followed by drying conditions of 122 degrees Fahrenheit and 35 percent relative humidity. Germination rates of up to 90 percent were also still seen when dried at 140 degrees, which was the high end for this study.

“The experiment gave us confidence that the higher temperature will work in the end,” Olaoni said. “And the higher temperature will allow the processors to dry it faster without affecting germination too much. Time and cost are very important for the industry to get it done as quickly as possible without damaging the seed.”

Holistic view

Seeds dried at 35 and 50 percent relative humidity had higher seed germination than those dried at 25 percent, although with a slight difference of about 2 percentage points. Olaoni said the difference may be due to the drying effect, since a lower relative humidity would induce more stress on the seed than a higher humidity.

While there have been many studies looking at the effect of temperature on seed viability and vigor, Olaoni noted that less research has been done on the impact of relative humidity as a factor alongside temperature, air velocity, kernel fissuring and storage duration.

The two long grain rice varieties used in the study were harvested at three moisture content levels: 21 to 24 percent, 18 to 20 percent, and 13 to 16 percent. The rice was then dried to 12.5 percent moisture at temperatures ranging from about 100 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, with relative humidity levels of 25 to 50 percent, and air velocity levels of 0.66 to 1.65 meters per second. A scale in the dryer weighed the samples to determine the moisture content.

Rice growers commonly harvest rice at a moisture content of 18 to 20 percent. They store the rice in large bins and begin the drying process to further reduce moisture content, Atungulu said. The optimum storage level of 12.5 percent moisture content wards off mold growth and helps maintain the rice’s structural quality.

Out fissuring

X-ray imaging was used as a noninvasive tool to see through the outer hull and examine rice grains for fissures before and after drying.

Olaoni’s previous research, published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, has shown that fissuring can impact seed rice germination and vigor, depending on the severity and proximity to the embryo and the specific rice variety.

There was a weak correlation and lack of statistical significance between kernel fissuring and seed vigor in this study. Although seeds that fissured less had higher germination rates, the difference in germination rates between seeds with higher and lower percentages of fissuring was about 3.5 percent.

Seed storage

Seed assessment tests were conducted at three, six, nine and 12 months of storage at room temperature — about 68 degrees Fahrenheit — with relative humidity levels of 25, 35 and 50 percent. There were no significant differences in germination rates or seed vigor between storage times and relative humidity levels in this study. However, there was more of a general decline in seed vigor during storage for the rice that was dried at higher temperatures compared to lower temperatures.

Overall, the authors noted that it was critical to dry the seeds to a safe moisture content of 12.5 percent before storage to minimize loss due to oxidation, enzymatic activity and respiration during storage.

The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

This study was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Act funding.

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three system campuses.  

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

 

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Seed rice in the hull were X-rayed in a study at the Arkansas Rice Research Program for noninvasive viewing of fissuring before and after different drying conditions to determine its impact on germination and seed vigor.

Credit

U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Paden Johnson

Journal

Drying Technology

DOI

10.1080/07373937.2025.2538177 

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Use of X-ray imaging to elucidate impacts of drying conditions and storage on seed rice germination and vigor

 

Poorer students in England more likely to miss out on studying a language at GCSE

Students from less wealthy backgrounds are more likely to attend schools where learning a foreign language to GCSE is considered optional – and not necessarily even encouraged – new research shows

University of Cambridge

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Students from less wealthy backgrounds are more likely to attend schools where learning a foreign language to GCSE is considered optional – and not necessarily even encouraged – new research shows.

The University of Cambridge study of 615 state schools in England found that poorer students are disproportionately concentrated in schools that deprioritise language learning. This significantly reduces their chances of learning a foreign language after the age of 14.

The research identified a seven percentage point gap between the proportion of disadvantaged students at schools where languages were optional at GCSE, and at schools where they were considered ‘core’. It then found an enormous difference, exceeding 50 percentage points, in the average proportion of students at these schools who studied a language to GCSE.

These findings suggest that disadvantaged students have been worst affected by the national decline in language study since 2004, when GCSE languages ceased to be compulsory. In the academic year 2023/4, just 45.7% of eligible students in England took a language GCSE. By contrast, 97.9% of upper secondary students in the EU study at least one foreign language.

The study also shows that if schools offer a wider choice of languages, their GCSE language scores tend to be better overall. For every additional language offered at GCSE, schools’ average scores for GCSE languages rose by almost a quarter of a grade.

The research, published in The Language Learning Journal, was undertaken by Dr Karen Forbes, Associate Professor in Second Language Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Forbes said it raised concerns about widening inequalities in language learning. “It seems obvious, but surely all children should have the same opportunity to learn a language,” she said. “In practice, for less wealthy students these subjects are often de-emphasised. If this is not addressed, the national decline in language learning will continue and probably accelerate.”

Language learning in England is compulsory from ages seven to 14, with most pupils studying French, Spanish or German. Thereafter, schools decide whether to treat languages as ‘core’ or optional. In addition, some offer languages through a specific pathway tied to the English Baccalaureate (EBacc): a performance measure based on the number of pupils taking GCSEs in what the Government considers important subjects, which includes languages.

The Cambridge study explored how schools’ policies on languages – treating them as ‘core’, attaching them to an EBacc pathway, or leaving them fully optional – affects uptake at GCSE and students’ attainment.

It also considered other factors that might influence uptake and grades, including students’ prior attainment (measured using test scores at Key Stage 2), the number of “disadvantaged” students, and the number of students who use English as an additional language (EAL), meaning they speak a different language at home.

Of the 615 schools studied, 19.2% treated languages as ‘core’, 29.6% offered an EBacc pathway, and 51.2% positioned languages as completely optional. The vast majority of GCSE students took French, Spanish, or German; but some studied Chinese, Italian, Urdu, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese or Bengali.

Disadvantaged students were more likely to attend schools where languages were optional, accounting for almost 29% of all students, compared with just 21.3% in schools where languages were core. The proportion in EBacc pathway schools was 25.65%: almost identical to the national average.

Critically, the effect of school language policies on uptake were stark. In schools where languages were core, 82.6% of students studied a language to GCSE. The figure sank to 52.7% in EBacc pathway schools and just 31.9% in schools where languages are optional. As the study shows, these are the schools that disproportionately serve less affluent communities.

Even after accounting for prior attainment and EAL pupils, school policy remained the strongest predictor of students’ likelihood of studying a language to GCSE. In contrast, disadvantage had no significant effect. In other words, given the chance, poorer students are just as likely to continue language study past age 14 as anyone else.

The research also considered the effects that increasing language uptake has on results. On average, each percentage increase in uptake was linked to a 0.019 point drop, or about one fiftieth of a grade, in the school’s average GCSE grade across all language subjects.

This effect was more than outweighed by the benefits of offering a wider choice of languages, however. For each additional GCSE language on the timetable, the average grade rose by 0.234 points – almost a quarter of a grade.

Forbes said that how schools position languages in the curriculum sends important signals to students. “When schools frame languages as useful and important,  students pick up on this” she said. “Offering a wider range of languages also gives them a choice, and they are more likely to be motivated if they are studying a language they have actively chosen.”

While the EBacc has not reversed the national decline in language learning, the findings provide some tentative evidence that it has a positive effect in some schools, bearing in mind the 20 percentage point difference between uptake in EBacc pathway schools and schools where languages are purely optional.

“Personally, I would love to see languages reestablished as core subjects at GCSE across all schools – this would signal its importance and create more equitable opportunities for students,” Forbes said. “In the absence of that, something is better than nothing, and national-level accountability measures for languages like the EBacc do seem to influence both schools and students. Broadening choice – rather than narrowing it – is key to reducing inequalities between students, and to raising both participation and attainment.”

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Journal

Language Learning Journal

DOI

10.1080/09571736.2025.2551613 

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Where financial advisors grew up influences their business ethics

Childhood Exposure to Misbehavior and the Culture of Financial Misconduct

North Carolina State University

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A new study finds that where financial advisors were raised plays a significant role in establishing their core code of ethics, which has a significant impact on their professional behavior as adults. Specifically, researchers found that where advisors grew up significantly predicted the likelihood that they engaged in professional misconduct as adults – regardless of whether they worked in the same area where they were raised.

“This study underscores that the environment we grow up in has a lasting impact on us as adults, and that efforts to promote ethical behavior in the financial advisor industry should take these cultural factors into consideration,” says Jesse Ellis, co-author of a paper on the work. Ellis is the Alan T. Dickson Distinguished Professor of Finance in North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management.

“Previous research found one out of 13 financial advisors had committed at least one documented case of misconduct, and that advisors who committed misconduct generally stayed in the industry,” Ellis says. “The financial advisor sector is particularly subject to misconduct because clients usually lack the expertise necessary to assess the value of the product or service they’re getting. And that means advisors can engage in misconduct that allows them to make more money at the expense of their clients.

“Regulations aimed at limiting that misconduct can be difficult to enforce, which means that the primary protection against misconduct is each advisor’s commitment to ethical conduct,” Ellis says. “So, given the sector’s vulnerability to misconduct, we wanted to learn more about what may be influencing these unethical behaviors.”

For the study, researchers looked at data on 86,766 financial advisors, as well as data from 2,489 counties where those advisors grew up and 1,720 counties where those advisors worked as adults. The researchers also gathered information on each financial advisor’s history of misconduct from publicly available data collected by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and state regulatory agencies.

To assess the impact an advisor’s childhood environment may have had, the researchers made use of an index that was developed to measure “misbehavior.” That index looks at data on six categories of misbehavior: financial misconduct by corporations, local political corruption, financial advisor misconduct, stock option backdating, spousal infidelity, and inappropriate financial relationships between doctors and drug companies. Each county was assigned a score – the higher the score, the higher the level of misbehavior.

“We found there was a strong relationship between where advisors grew up and the likelihood that an advisor engaged in misconduct,” Ellis says. “Basically, the higher the misbehavior index score of an advisor’s hometown, the more likely it was that the advisor engaged in misconduct. This held true regardless of whether advisors worked in the same region where they grew up, and it held true even when we accounted for a host of demographic variables.

“This does not mean that someone from an area with a high misbehavior score is definitely going to behave unethically,” Ellis says. “However, it strongly suggests that the cultural norms where advisors grow up play a significant role in shaping their ethical foundations.

“We think the work we’ve done here drives home the extent to which ethical foundations are deeply ingrained in individuals, and that cursory ethical training efforts are insufficient to reduce misconduct,” Ellis says. “We’re optimistic these findings will lead policymakers and the business community to develop and implement more substantive efforts to influence advisor behavior in a meaningful way.”

The paper, “Childhood Exposure to Misbehavior and the Culture of Financial Misconduct,” is published in the Review of Financial Studies. The paper was co-authored by Chris Clifford and Will Gerken of the University of Kentucky.

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Journal

Review of Financial Studies

DOI

10.1093/rfs/hhaf075 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Childhood Exposure to Misbehavior and the Culture of Financial Misconduct

 

Frontiers Forum Deep Dive series: Mix insect, plant, and cultivated proteins for healthier, greener, tastier food, say experts

A complimentary virtual symposium from the Frontiers Forum

Frontiers

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Reducing industrial animal use can help to shrink our carbon footprint and boost health—but doing so means we need nutritious meat alternatives that are also tasty and affordable. 

This is according to a new Frontiers in Science lead article in which researchers Prof David Julian McClements and Prof David L. Kaplan reveal how hybrid foods, which combine proteins from different sources, could be part of the solution.     

Join the authors at our Frontiers Forum Deep Dive webinar on 22 October 2025, 16:00–17:30 CEST, as they examine how these hybrids—made by combining alternative protein sources like plants, fungi, insects, and cell-cultivated meat—can help reduce the negative impacts of traditional animal agriculture on health, the environment, and animal welfare.   

They emphasize the need for collaboration between science, industry, and regulators to optimize protein combinations that balance nutrition, taste, sustainability, and affordability. 

The article authors will discuss key challenges—consumer acceptance, cost, scalability, and regulatory implications—that must be addressed before hybrids can become mainstream, commercially viable meat alternatives.      

Hybrid alternative protein-based foods: designing a healthier and more sustainable food supply | Register 

Frontiers Forum Deep Dive sessions bring researchers, policy experts, and innovators together from around the world, to discuss a specific area of transformational science published in Frontiers' flagship, multidisciplinary journal, Frontiers in Science, and explore next steps for the field. 

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DOI

10.3389/fsci.2025.1599300