Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
The eighty exotic spring wheat genotypes with two check cultivars were evaluated for grain colour, protein content, thousands grain weight, test weight, sedimentation value, wet and dry gluten content. Genotypic variation in the set of lines was significant for all the quality traits investigated and a wide spectrum of variation was observed. Fifty three of the test lines possessed red grains while the remaining 27 were white grained. Grain protein content showed a range of 10.26 to 16.66 %. Genetic variation for this trait is generally low in the high yielding, locally adapted wheat germplasm. Thousand grain weight, varied from 23.95 to 44.67g. The commercially relevant wheat lines generally possess a 1000-grain weight in the vicinity of 40g. The range for test weight showed a spread of 66.87 to 87.85 kg/hl. A test weight of less than 78 kg/hl is generally not acceptable. Evaluation for sedimentation value revealed a range of 34 to 62 cc in the set. The wheats with good bread making quality are expected to possess a sedimentation value of above 60 cc. For wet and dry gluten the range observed was 21.9–43.0% and 7.2–18.1% respectively. Gluten present in the flour determines strength of the dough and consequently bread making properties. A subset of 12 genotypes was identified on basis of quality trait observations. Two genotypes viz.,’Temple’ and ‘Bruehl’ showed a desirable combination of high protein content, appropriate thousand grain weight, high sedimentation value and white grain colour.
Exotic spring wheat, protein content, sedimentation value
