Milling and Bread Baking Traits Associated with Puroindoline Sequence Type in Hard Red Spring Wheat

Abstract

Recent results have shown that mutations in genes coding for puroindoline a and b (PinA and PinB) are associated with the expression of the hard texture of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain. A majority of hard wheats have a glycine‐to‐serine mutation in puroindoline b (allele PinB‐D1b), or they are devoid of puroindoline a (allele PinA‐D1b). Hard wheats with PinA‐D1b tend to be harder than those with PinB‐D1b Grain hardness is known to affect milling and baking traits. Our objective was to determine the influence of allelic variation in PinA and PinB on milling and bread quality traits in a recombinant inbred population segregating for PinA‐D1b and PinB‐D1b One hundred thirty‐nine recombinant inbred lines from the cross ‘Butte 86’ (PinA‐D1b allele)/ND2603 (PinB‐D1b allele) and parents were grown in a field trial with two replications at two locations. Grain hardness was measured by near‐infrared reflectance (NIR) and the single‐kernel characterization system (SKCS). Grain was milled and baked for each line. Puroindoline allele type was determined for each line. The PinB‐D1b group had significantly softer grain, higher break flour yield, flour yield, milling score, and loaf volume, and lower flour ash and crumb grain score (low score being desirable) than the PinA‐D1b group. Significant genetic variability was detected within allelic classes for all traits. The proportion of variation among entry means attributed to puroindoline classes was 34% for break flour yield, 26% for NIR hardness, and 22% for SKCS harness index. Grain hardness was negatively correlated with break flour yield, flour yield, and mixing score and positively correlated with flour ash. Grain hardness was not correlated with loaf volume or crumb grain score. The PinB‐D1b allele was more desirable for milling and bread baking, although superior milling and bread quality genotypes could be selected within either class.