Characterization of popular bread wheat cultivars of India for grain quality and the stable genetic resource

Abstract

One hundred high yielding varieties of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were characterised for 20 quality traits which included end-product (chapati, bread and biscuit) quality, physico-chemical grain properties (grain appearance score, test weight, sedimentation value, grain hardness index, protein and gluten contents, gluten index and extraction rate) and grain micronutrient density (yellow pigments, iron, zinc, copper and manganese contents) to study divergence and distinctness in the Indian hallmark wheat germplasm. Grain quality analysis revealed that the Indian bread wheat varieties are generally good in test weight, chapati quality but need improvement in sedimentation value, flour recovery, gluten index and product quality of bread and biscuit. Even though varietal diversity was of low or medium magnitude, clustering based on end-product quality and grain properties framed them into nine distinct groups. Characteristics grain quality features of each cluster were elaborated. Besides value addition, this assortment clearly brought into light some pattern of regional specificity in the Indian bread wheat varieties. Changes merely in the moisture regime exhibited no distinct alteration in overall grain quality of a variety in the heat or cold stressed environments. Quality parameters were explored and grouped as per consistency levels derived from coefficient of variation. The most consistent grain quality features under Indian conditions were chapati score, bread loaf volume, test weight and flour recovery. Parameters like biscuit spread factor, protein and gluten contents, gluten index and all micronutrient except copper were graded highly variable or inconsistent whereas bread quality score, sedimentation value, yellow pigments and copper content were rated moderately consistent. Varieties with dependable and superior grain quality features were noted and suggested for quality improvement.