Evaluation of Hard Red Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Breadmaking Quality Characteristics by Utilizing a Minimum Standard Method1

Abstract

Cultivar responses to environments for test weight, 1000 kernel weight, wheat mineral, and mixing time were determined for seven commercially grown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars in 57 Uniform Regional Spring Wheat Nurseries (URSWN) from 1964 through 1967. The analysis was not applicable to small and large kernel sizes or to dough characteristics because of nonlinear responses to environments.We determined that four minimum standard check cultivars were needed to evaluate wheat for most environments from the 1964 to 1967 data. These minimum standard check cultivars were then used for 1968 and 1969 URSWN data, with a weighted evaluation score for each trait, to evaluate 10 strains and cultivars. This new minimum standard method appeared to offer the following main advantages over the present procedure used to evaluate potential varieties: 1) it considers the responses of check cultivars to environments; 2) it places quality evaluations on a minimal standard base for a comparison among breeding lines; 3) it provides a statistical test of the mean minimum evaluation scores; and 4) if economic weights of each quality trait were available, it would indicate economic worth of a selection to industry.