Abstract
Triticum aestivum is among the few species of crops which has been widely grown as a source of food. For seed quality trait analysis, wheat germplasm (77 genotypes) was collected from Pakistan's diverse agro-climatic regions. Significant variation (p < 0.05) was observed for tested parameters among tested genotypes. Genotypes with maximum protein content, i.e., GA2002 (16.5%) and Marvi (16.5%), moisture content, i.e., advance line 9,244 (11%), starch content, i.e., AARI 2011 (54.1%), zeleny sedimentation rate, i.e., advance line 2006 (44ml), wet gluten content, i.e., advance line 2006 (44%), kernel weight, i.e., advance line TC-4928 (41.6 ± 9.5 mg), kernel diameter, i.e., sassui (2.91 ± 0.32 mm), kernel moisture, i.e., AUQAB 2000 (11.7 ± 0.4%), Mairaj 2000 (11.7 ± 0.4%), and Barani-83 (11.7 ± 0.3%), and hardness index, i.e., Punjab 2011 (91 ± 39) are concluded as potential candidates to be explored for bakery products and the breeding program to improve quality attributes of wheat. Data were also analyzed for correlation, agglomerative hierarchical clustering, and principal component analysis (PCA). Cluster analysis clustered all genotypes into five different groups. The D2 statistics confirmed maximum diversity of cluster-V genotypes against genotypes of cluster-IV regarding single kernel characteristics, whereas cluster-II genotypes revealed maximum diversity against cluster-III genotypes relating to grain nutritional profile. The contribution of PC-I regarding single kernel characteristics toward variability was highest (48.58%) and revealed positive factor loadings for kernel weight, kernel diameter, and kernel moisture, while the contribution of PC-I with respect to grain nutritional profile toward variability was highest (59.76%) and showed positive factor loadings for moisture and starch content. Varieties having good quality attributes can be combined by breeders via various breeding methods with the aim of developing high quality wheat in the future.
Highlights
Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is among the few species of crops that have been widely grown as a source of food, and it is considered of great significance primarily due to its grain which is comprised of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals (Cu, P, Mg, Fe, and Zn), and vitamins
Wheat germplasm of 77 varieties harvested during the year 2015 were collected from various centers within each agro-climatic zone of Pakistan, multiplied during 2 consecutive years, i.e., 2016 as well as 2017, and used to assess quality traits
Wheat varieties used in this study having year of release, source, and genotype pedigree have already been cited in Table 1 of our previously published paper Khalid and Hameed [10]
Summary
Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is among the few species of crops that have been widely grown as a source of food, and it is considered of great significance primarily due to its grain which is comprised of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals (Cu, P, Mg, Fe, and Zn), and vitamins (niacin, thiamine, alpha tocopherol, and riboflavin). Among cereals, it is the most widely cultivated crop in the world, accounting for 17% of the world’s crop acreage, supplying food to approximately 40% of the world population and providing 20% of the overall food calories besides protein in human diet. Commercial worth of bread wheat can be deduced from vital and principal characters for its superior end use quality [5]
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