Acrospire
An acrospire is the first shoot that emerges from a germinating grain seed, and is the beginning of a new plant.
In the malting process, the length of the acrospire is a visual indicator of the degree of malt modification and the uniformity of germination. Maltsters use their visual reading of the acrospire growth to judge the malting process and make decisions to produce in-spec malt.