The Distribution of High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits among Some Old Wheat Varieties of India

HMW glutenin subunits (HMWGS) make up about 6-8% of the total gluten content that in turn constitute about 8-15% of the dry weight of wheat flour and are key determinants of the viscoelastic properties of the wheat dough. These HMWGS have been assigned different scores proportionate to the strength that they confer on the dough. Varieties being released off late have been found to be poor scorers in respect of gluten strength. The HMWGS profile of about 450 varieties/accessions of bygone era were studied and compared with the HMWGS profile of best performing latest cultivars. It was observed that there has been no variety with a HMWGS score of ten during last 15 years as compared to over 65 out of 450 from the early period is indicative enough of poor or no emphasis on quality in the breeding process.