We suggest that the lateral movement of the lower jaw does
contribute to the shortening of husking time. When the lower
beak is in its rest position it is not pressing against the centre
of the seed, which is fixated in a groove of the upper beak, and
there is a force component along the surface of the seed
(Fig.·6A). When during a cracking attempt there is not enough
friction between the lower beak and the seed, it is squeezed into
the beak and another cracking attempt is needed. However,
when the lower jaw moves in a lateral direction to a position
right under the seed (Fig.·6B), the bite force is directed in such
a way that chance of squeezing the seed from between the
beaks becomes much smaller.