Important Wheat Research Articles

Characterization of 14 Triticum species for the NAM-B1 gene and its associated traits.

Wheat grain protein, zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) content are important wheat qualities crucial for human nutrition and health worldwide. Increasing these three components simultaneously in wheat grains by a single gene came into the picture through NAM-B1 cloning. NAM-B1 gene and its association with the mentioned grain quality traits have been primarily studied in common and durum wheat and their progenitors T. dicoccum and T. dicoccoides. In the present study, for the first time, 38 wheat accessions comprising ten hexaploids from five species and 28 tetraploids from nine species were evaluated in the field for two consecutive years. Additionally, the 582 first nucleotides of the NAM-B1 gene were examined. The NAM-B1 gene was present in 21 tetraploids and five hexaploid accessions. Seven tetraploid accessions contained the wild-type allele (five T. dicoccum, one T. dicoccoides, and one T. ispahanicum) and fourteen the mutated allele with a 'T' insertion at position 11 in the open reading frame, causing a frameshift. In hexaploid wheat comprising the gene, only one accession of T. spelta contained the wild-type allele, and the rest resembled the insertion mutated type. In the two-year field experiment, eight accessions with the wild-type NAM-B1 allele had significantly higher protein, Zn and Fe grain content when compared to indel-type accessions. Additionally, these accessions exhibited a lower mean for seed-filling duration than all other accessions containing indel-type alleles. In terms of grain yield, 1,000-kernel weight, kernel diameter, and kernel length, T. dicoccum accessions having wild-type alleles were similar to the indel-type accessions over two years of evaluation. These findings further support the possibility of simultaneous improvement of wheat grain protein, Zn, and Fe content by a single gene crucial for human nutrition and health worldwide.

6K1, NIa-VPg, NIa-Pro, and CP of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus are Collective Determinants of Wheat Streak Mosaic Disease in Wheat.

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; genus Tritimovirus; family Potyviridae) is the causal agent of the most economically important wheat streak mosaic disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Great Plains region of the USA. WSMV determinants responsible for wheat streak mosaic disease in wheat are unknown. Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV), a wheat-infecting virus, was used as an expression vector for the transient expression of each of the WSMV-encoded cistrons in wheat. WSMV-encoded 6K1, NIa-VPg, NIa-Pro, and CP cistrons in TriMV elicited symptoms specific to different stages of wheat streak mosaic disease without significantly affecting the genomic RNA accumulation. WSMV 6K1 produced early wheat streak mosaic disease-like symptoms of severe chlorotic streaks and patches. NIa-VPg and CP caused severe chlorotic streaks, followed by moderate stunting (only with NIa-VPg) of wheat, mimicking early- and mid-stage symptoms of wheat streak mosaic disease. WSMV NIa-Pro caused mild chlorotic streaks, followed by dark green leaves with severe stunting, representing the late symptoms of wheat streak mosaic disease. Collectively, these data suggest that cumulative effects of WSMV-encoded 6K1, NIa-VPg, NIa-Pro, and CP are responsible for different stages of wheat streak mosaic disease symptoms in wheat. Furthermore, deletion analysis of wheat streak mosaic disease determinants revealed that complete 6K1 and NIa-Pro, amino acids 3-60 and 121-197 of NIa-VPg, and amino acids 101-294 of CP are responsible for wheat streak mosaic disease-like symptoms in wheat. This study suggests that management strategies for wheat streak mosaic disease in wheat should target WSMV determinants of the disease phenotype.

SmCSP4 from aphid saliva stimulates salicylic acid-mediated defence responses in wheat by interacting with transcription factor TaWKRY76.

Aphid salivary proteins are critical in modulating plant defence responses. Grain aphid Sitobion miscanthi is an important wheat pest worldwide. However, the molecular basis for the regulation of the plant resistance to cereal aphids remains largely unknown. Here, we show that SmCSP4, a chemosensory protein from S. miscanthi saliva, is secreted into wheat plants during aphid feeding. Delivery of SmCSP4 into wheat leaves activates salicylic acid (SA)-mediated plant defence responses and subsequently reduces aphid performance by deterring aphid feeding behaviour. In contrast, silencing SmCSP4 gene via nanocarrier-mediated RNAi significantly decreases the ability of aphids to activate SA defence pathway. Protein-protein interaction assays showed that SmCSP4 directly interacts with wheat transcriptional factor TaWRKY76 in plant nucleus. Furthermore, TaWRKY76 directly binds to the promoter of SA degradation gene Downy Mildew Resistant 6 (DMR6) and regulates its gene expression as transcriptional activator. SmCSP4 secreted by aphids reduces the transcriptional activation activity of TaWRKY76 on DMR6 gene expression, which is proposed to result in increases of SA accumulation and enhanced plant immunity. This study demonstrated that SmCSP4 acts as salivary elicitor that is involved in activating SA signalling defence pathway of wheat by interacting with TaWRKY76, which provide novel insights into aphid-cereal crops interactions and the molecular mechanism on induced plant immunity.

Wheat Farmers’ Perception of Constraints and Their Adaptive Capacity to Changing Demands in Egypt

Most of the approximately 105 million Egyptians depend on wheat in the form of baladi bread for their daily diet. Millions of smallholders along the River Nile have produced wheat for millennia; however, in more recent history, the wheat demand and supply ratio has dramatically changed. The first wheat imports in Egyptian history were in 1966. Today, domestic production meets only half of the wheat consumption, and Egypt has become the largest wheat importer in the world. Before the Russia–Ukraine war, 85% of the wheat imports to Egypt came from Russia and Ukraine. The war and the associated disruption of the wheat supply chains has put Egypt on the top list of so-called “developing countries highly threatened by food crises”. Against this backdrop, we analyzed decision-making factors and perceptions of wheat-producing smallholders in the Nile River Delta, the wheat basket of Egypt. The study draws on nine months of empirical fieldwork in the Nile River Delta. We employed a mixed approach to data collection, combining interviews and focus group discussions with smallholders, experts, and agriculture extension agents with transect walks and field observations. In total, 246 randomly selected wheat-growing smallholders were interviewed in four divisions in the Nile River Delta. Our findings show that the production of wheat by smallholders is highly influenced by system-immanent factors, such as subsistence need for home consumption and the presence and intensity of animal husbandry, as well as by external factors, such as the domestic prices for wheat determined by the government in each season and the time of the declaration of these prices. These factors affect smallholders’ decisions to increase or decrease their wheat cultivation area. However, the study also showed that the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to grow wheat or implement innovative practices vary across different areas within the same region. Smallholders struggle with poor access to fundamental production factors and are discontented with the low provision of extension and support services as well as poor market structures. These constraints act as disincentives for smallholders to produce (more) wheat. They need to be addressed and eliminated to increase domestic production and to reduce Egypt’s dependency on expensive and unreliable wheat imports.

Pengaruh Substitusi Tepung Sagu (Metroxylon sagu R) pada Terigu terhadap Karakteristik Kue Kering

There are so many kinds of foods made of wheat flour. The dependency on wheat flour will be a problem in the future because wheat as raw material could not be cultivated in Indonesia. The Government and private companies have to import wheat from other countries to fulfil people need on wheat flour which rise from year to year. Wheat flour as raw material in food production contain high glycemic value that is not good for our health. One of the alternatives to replace wheat flour is sago flour, because it contains high carbohydrate and other nutrition. The most important thing is that sago flour is gluten free. Sago flour is suitable for cookies making. Research had been done at the Laboratory of Agriculture Faculty UICM and at Chemistry Laboratory of Agriculture Faculty Ma’soem University. The objective of the research was to find out the effect of sago flour substitution to wheat flour on the characteristics of cookies. The experimental method was applied in this research with 8 treatments and repeated 3 times. The treatments were sago substitution of 0%(A), sago substitution of 10%(B), sago substitution of 20% (C), sago substitution of 30%(D), sago substitution of 40% (E), sago substitution of 50% (F), sago substitution of 60% (G), and sago substitution of 70% (H). The organoleptic test was applied on colour, taste, aroma and texture. Result of the research showed that treatment H produced cookies with the best characteristic according to colour and aroma.

Characterization and fitness cost of bifenthrin resistance in Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

Rhopalosiphum padi is an important global wheat pest. The pyrethroid insecticide bifenthrin is widely used in the control R. padi. We explored the resistance potential, cross-resistance, adaptive costs, and resistance mechanism of R. padi to bifenthrin using a bifenthrin-resistant strain (Rp-BIF) established in laboratory. The Rp-BIF strain developed extremely high resistance against bifenthrin (1033.036-fold). Cross-resistance analyses showed that the Rp-BIF strain had an extremely high level of cross-resistance to deltamethrin (974.483-fold), moderate levels of cross-resistance to chlorfenapyr (34.051-fold), isoprocarb (27.415-fold), imidacloprid (14.819-fold), and thiamethoxam (11.228-fold), whereas negative cross-resistance was observed to chlorpyrifos (0.379-fold). The enzymatic activity results suggested that P450 played an important role in bifenthrin resistance. A super-kdr mutation (M918L) of voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) was found in the bifenthrin-resistant individuals. When compared with the susceptible strain (Rp-SS), the Rp-BIF strain was significantly inferior in multiple life table parameters, exhibiting a relative fitness of 0.69. Our toxicological and biochemical studies indicated that multiple mechanisms of resistance might be involved in the resistance trait. Our results provide insight into the bifenthrin resistance of R. padi and can contribute to improve management of bifenthrin-resistant R. padi in the field.

Karakteristik Fisik Kimia Dan Organoleptik Cookies Dengan Campuran Tepung Mocaf Dan Tepung Kacang Tunggak (Vigna Unguiculata)

Cookies are one type of snack that is very popular with people both in city and village areas. Cookies are a type of biscuit made from soft, crispy dough and when broken the cross section looks less dense textured. In general, the stage of making cookies consists of mixing, printing and baking. Basically, making cookies uses low protein flour. The high demand for wheat flour has increased the volume of wheat imports from year to year so as to reduce dependence on consumption of wheat flour by utilizing local food ingredients. Mocaf and cowpea flour can be used for replace wheat flour in making cookies. Mocaf is flour made from fermented cassava. Cowpea flour is flour made from milled cowpea.

Pengaruh Jenis Warna Umbi Ubi Jalar (Ipomea Batatas L.) Dan Lama Pengukusan Terhadap Karakteristik Kimia Dan Fisik Mie Kering

Dry noodles are dried food products made from wheat flour with the addition of other foods and food additives which are allowed to be in the form of typical noodles. The high increase in consumption and demand for noodles will simultaneously increase the volume of wheat imports. Excessive consumption of wheat flour will have an allergic effect for celiac sufferers. Sweet potato pasta as a local food can be used to reduce on imported flour and provide health effects as an antioxidant for people with diabetes mellitus. The difference in sweet potato color can affect the physicochemical and functional characteristics of sweet potatoes. In the steaming process, starch gelatinization and gluten coagulation occur so that the occurrence of dehydration of water from gluten will cause noodle elasticity. Steaming needs to be considered to form a cohesive and fairly elastic dough period.

Determinants of Wheat Production in Nigeria (1981 – 2019): A Bounds Testing Approach

The study examined the analysis of trends and determinants of wheat production in Nigeria between 1981 and 2019. The data for this study are time series data at macro level spanning from 1981 to 2019. All the data were largely sourced from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistical data base, Penn world data of the university of Pennsylvania and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin. The data include output of wheat in Nigeria, local and international price of wheat, real exchange rate, and external reserve. The data were analyzed using autoregressive distributed lags to access the relationship between wheat output and factors affecting wheat production in Nigeria. Results showed that external reserve, per capita income, market reforms and technological advancement significantly increased wheat production in Nigeria. Consistency of government policies and policy actions geared towards reducing wheat imports should especially pursued by the government.

Evaluating Wheat Suppliers Using Fuzzy MCDM Technique

Wheat has significantly impacted food security in numerous countries. Like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Jordan’s daily diet contains a sizable amount of wheat. Further, Jordan is dealing with several issues, including rapid population growth, water scarcity, widespread urbanization, and limited agricultural wheat production. Thus, it imports most of its wheat and wheat products. Moreover, the method of selecting suppliers in Jordan is unique, as private importers import for the benefit of the government, and thus, the selection of suppliers is carried out by importers. This study aims to examine the various supplier selection approaches to determine Jordan’s primary wheat suppliers and rank them according to specified criteria. The fuzzy-VIKOR approach was used to assess, select, and rank the best wheat suppliers in Jordan. The findings suggest that Romania is the best supplier of wheat for Jordan. It is recognized as the most affordable and trustworthy supplier since it is nearby, has strong links through official channels, and is flexible. Suppliers are subject to change or adjust their offerings as a result of changes in the global economy, wheat prices at the source, exchange rates, transportation and handling costs, crises, and national export levies. This study will help importers, decision-makers, and others concerned with wheat imports as a strategic commodity identify and select suppliers.

IMPACT OF UKRAWAR INA AND RUSSIA PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAMIC HUMANITARIAN LAW

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has become a global discussion. This conflict has occurred since early 2014 based on the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine, then coupled with the Crimea crisis and the overthrow of Viktor, which triggered a battle with the Russian government until it was divided into two groups: the pro-EU group and the pro-Russian group. Apart from the crime crisis, on February 24, 2022, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began again after NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) tried to expand its membership into Eastern Europe by withdrawing Ukraine as a target. The conflict between these two countries, of course, had a significant impact on the global economy. Especially in Indonesia, although it is freely active. Regarding exports, Indonesia experienced a decline in non-oil and gas, then wheat imports, experiencing obstacles, causing an increase in food prices. Therefore, this forced Indonesia to show its attitude towards the conflict between Russia and Ukraine because the effects caused greatly affected various systems in Indonesia.
 Keywords: war, state,law, Islamic

Maize and Wheat Responses to the Legacies of Different Cover Crops under Warm Conditions

Cover crops (CC) have great potential to enhance the sustainability of agroecosystems. However, the wide range of possible rotations of CC and cash crops (CaC) means that important knowledge gaps persist on how CC affects CaC. We investigated the legacy effects of five common CC (three monocultures: vetch, melilotus, and barley, and two mixtures: barley-vetch and barley-melilotus) on two of the most important CaC, maize and wheat. A microcosm, semi-controlled experiment was established simulating warm, low-income Mediterranean conditions. After two cycles, soil physicochemical and microbial properties, as well as plant growth and nutrition variables, were measured at the CC early growth CaC stage. In maize, barley CC had the best soil microbial and nutritional legacy effects, which resulted in the highest biomass and nutrient status. In contrast, barley produced the worst results on wheat, showing the disadvantages of growing two crops from the same tribe consecutively. CC mixtures also did not offer a productive advantage over pure CC. Additionally, our findings suggest that archaea seem to play a role in increasing N and Zn content in maize shoots. Furthermore, shoot B contents showed highly significant regressions with the CaC biomass. These results can help select the appropriate CC in each case.

Comparative evaluation of cassava composite flours and bread

Abstract. Abu MS. 2023. Comparative evaluation of cassava composite flours and bread. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 21: 13-17. Wheat imports into Nigeria have a high monetary value of NGN 635 billion annually. The recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) trade report shows that Nigeria has spent NGN 258.3 billion on wheat imports in the first three months of 2021, despite the government continuing to encourage local production, such as composite flour. Composite flour combines several flours from roots, tubers, cereals, and legumes with or without adding wheat flour. This study evaluated the functional properties of composite flour produced from potato, cassava, and soybean and the effect of fortification on microbial growth on the produced bread. The flour variations were prepared at 50: 50 (%w/w), then the proximate composition, mineral contents, and functional properties were analyzed. The composite flour comprises WCF = 400 g wheat flour + 400 g cassava flour. CPF = 400 g of cassava + 400 g of sweet potatoes. CSF = 400 g of cassava + 400 g of soybean. The dry ingredients for making dough were 800 g of flours/composite flours, 100 g of butter, 100 g of sugar, and 5 g of yeast thoroughly mixed with warm water to obtain the dough. Exactly 110 g of the dough was placed in the baking pan and kept at room temperature for 20 minutes to ripe. The ripe dough was baked in the oven for 15 minutes. The bread was allowed to cool for further analysis, including the sensory evaluation and the microbial load of the finished products. Bread production uses CP, CS, WC flours, whole wheat, and cassava flours. The Swelling Capacity (SWC) showed that the Wheat Flour (WF) (11.00 ± 1%) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than Cassava Flour (CF) (6.33 ± 0.58%) and Cassava-Soybean Flour (CSF) (6.67 ± 0.58%). On the other hand, Water Absorption Capacity (WAC) revealed that the Wheat Flour (WF) (1.74 ± 0.24 g H2O/g flour) was significantly (p<0.05) lower than CF (2.10 ± 0.08 g H2O/g flour) and Cassava-Potato Flour (CPF) (2.16 ± 0.07 g H2O/g flour). The Oil Absorption Capacity (OAC) showed that wheat flour (WF) (1.80 ± 0.15 g oil/g flour) was significantly (p<0.05) lower than CF (2.41 ± 0.07 g H2O/g oil), CPF (2.21 ± 0.81 g oil/g flour) and CSF (2.15 ± 0.10 g oil/g flour). The microbial density was higher on the Wheat-Flour Bread, WFB, followed by cassava flour bread, CFB. There was a lower microbial growth in cassava-potato flour bread, CPFB. The functional properties and the sensory evaluation of the composite flour bread indicated substantial feasibility of using legume/tuber composite flours in bread production.

Assessing the Sustainability of the Consumption of Agricultural Products with Regard to a Possible Reduction in Its Imports: The Case of Countries That Import Corn and Wheat

The main goal of this study is to develop and apply a toolkit for assessing the sustainability level of countries that import certain types of agricultural products with regard to a possible reduction in the volume of such imports. An indicator was proposed for evaluating sustainability. A model of its decomposition was built, which made it possible to reveal the hierarchy of factors of the formation of the specified sustainability. The concept of sustainable growth in consuming a certain agricultural product by a group of importing countries was developed. In particular, such growth conditions were formalized. Approbation of the formed methodological principles was carried out on two groups of countries that import corn and wheat. In particular, it was established that an increase in the relative vulnerability level of countries to a reduction in imported food supplies is negatively correlated with an increase in the relative level of adaptation of countries to such a reduction. It was also found that as of 1 January 2023, the resistance level of the studied countries to a reduction in corn and wheat imports has significantly decreased. Proposals are developed to increase the resilience level of food-importing countries to possible disruptions in their import supplies.

Biochemical and phenological characterization of diverse wheats and their association with drought tolerance genes

Drought is one of the most important wheat production limiting factor, and can lead to severe yield losses. This study was designed to examine the effect of drought stress on wheat physiology and morphology under three different field capacities (FC) viz. 80% (control), 50% (moderate) and 30% (severe drought stress) in a diverse collection of wheat germplasm including cultivars, landraces, synthetic hexaploid and their derivatives. Traits like grain weight, thousand grain weight and biomass were reduced by 38.23%, 18.91% and 26.47% respectively at 30% FC, whereas the reduction rate for these traits at 50% FC were 19.57%, 8.88% and 18.68%. In principal component analysis (PCA), the first two components PC1 and PC2 accounted for 58.63% of the total variation and separated the cultivars and landraces from synthetic-based germplasm. Landraces showed wide range of phenotypic variations at 30% FC compared to synthetic-based germplasm and improved cultivars. However, least reduction in grain weight was observed in improved cultivars which indicated the progress in developing drought resilient cultivars. Allelic variations of the drought-related genes including TaSnRK2.9-5A, TaLTPs-11, TaLTPs-12, TaSAP-7B-, TaPPH-13, Dreb-B1 and 1fehw3 were significantly associated with the phenological traits under drought stress in all 91 wheats including 40 landraces, 9 varieties, 34 synthetic hexaploids and 8 synthetic derivatives. The favorable haplotypes of 1fehw3, Dreb-B1, TaLTPs-11 and TaLTPs-12 increased grain weight, and biomass. Our results iterated the fact that landraces could be promising source to deploy drought adaptability in wheat breeding. The study further identified drought tolerant wheat genetic resources across various backgrounds and identified favourable haplotypes of water-saving genes which should be considered to develop drought tolerant varieties.

Agronomic and ionomics indicators of high-yield, mineral-dense, and low-Cd grains of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars

The accumulation of toxic and essential nutrient elements in wheat grain influences wheat yield, grain nutritional quality, and human health. Here, we assessed the potential for breeding wheat cultivars to combine high yield with low cadmium and high iron and/or zinc concentrations in grains, and we screened appropriate cultivars. A pot experiment was conducted to explore differences in grain cadmium, iron, and zinc concentrations among 68 wheat cultivars, as well as their relationships with other nutrient elements and agronomic characters. The results showed 2.04-, 1.71-, and 1.64-fold differences in grain cadmium, iron, and zinc concentrations, respectively, among the 68 cultivars. Grain cadmium concentration was positively correlated with grain zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese concentrations. Grain copper concentration was positively correlated with grain zinc and iron concentrations, but not with grain cadmium concentration. Therefore, copper has a potential role in regulating grain iron and zinc accumulation without influencing cadmium concentration in wheat grain. There were no significant relationships between grain cadmium concentration and four important wheat agronomic characters (i.e., grain yield, straw yield, thousand kernel weight, and plant height), indicating that the breeding of low-cadmium-accumulating cultivars with dwarfism and high yield characteristics is possible. On cluster analysis, four cultivars (Ningmai11, Xumai35, Baomai6, and Aikang58) exhibited low-cadmium and high-yield characteristics. Among them, Aikang58 contained moderate iron and zinc concentrations, while Ningmai11 had relatively high iron but low zinc concentrations in the grain. These results imply that it is feasible to breed high-yield dwarf wheat with low cadmium and moderate iron and zinc concentrations in the grain.

Population Structure of Modern Winter Wheat Accessions from Central Asia.

Despite the importance of winter wheat in Central Asian countries, there are limited reports describing their diversity within this region. In this study, the population structures of 115 modern winter wheat cultivars from four Central Asian countries were compared to germplasms from six other geographic origins using 10,746 polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. After applying the STRUCTURE package, we found that in terms of the most optimal K steps, samples from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were grouped together with samples from Russia, while samples from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were grouped with samples from Afghanistan. The mean value of Nei's genetic diversity index for the germplasm from four groups from Central Asia was 0.261, which is comparable to that of the six other groups studied: Europe, Australia, the USA, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Russia. The Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) showed that samples from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were close to samples from Turkey, while Kazakh accessions were located near samples from Russia. The evaluation of 10,746 SNPs in Central Asian wheat suggested that 1006 markers had opposing allele frequencies. Further assessment of the physical positions of these 1006 SNPs in the Wheat Ensembl database indicated that most of these markers are constituents of genes associated with plant stress tolerance and adaptability. Therefore, the SNP markers identified can be effectively used in regional winter wheat breeding projects for facilitating plant adaptation and stress resistance.

Effect of NAM-1 genes on the protein content in grain and productivity indices in common wheat lines with foreign genetic material introgressions in the conditions of Belarus.

Modern varieties of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bred mainly for high productivity are often of low grain quality. The identification of NAM-1 alleles associated with high grain protein content in wheat relatives has enhanced the significance of distant hybridization for the nutritional value of T. aestivum L. grain. In this work we aimed to study the allelic polymorphism of the NAM-A1 and NAM-B1 genes in wheat introgression lines and their parental forms and evaluate the effects of various NAM-1 variants on the grain protein content and productivity traits in the field conditions of Belarus. We studied parental varieties of spring common wheat, the accessions of tetraploid and hexaploid species of the genus Triticum and 22 introgression lines obtained using them (2017-2021 vegetation periods). Full-length NAM-A1 nucleotide sequences of T. dicoccoides k-5199, T. dicoccum k-45926, T. kiharae, and T. spelta k-1731 accessions were established and registered with the international molecular database GenBank. Six combinations of NAM-A1/B1 alleles were identified in the accessions studied and their frequency of occurrence varied from 40 to 3 %. The cumulative contribution of NAM-A1 and NAM-B1 genes to the variability of economically important wheat traits ranged from 8-10 % (grain weight per plant and thousand kernel weight) to up to 72 % (grain protein content). For most of the traits studied, the proportion of variability determined by weather conditions was small (1.57-18.48 %). It was shown that, regardless of weather conditions, the presence of a functional NAM-B1 allele ensures a high level of grain protein content; at the same time, it does not significantly decrease thousand kernel weight. The genotypes combining the NAM- A1d haplotype and a functional NAM-B1 allele demonstrated high levels of productivity and grain protein content. The results obtained demonstrate the effective introgression of a functional NAM-В1 allele of related species increasing the nutritional value of common wheat.

Characteristics of dried noodle analogue made from sorghum flour and rice flour added with konjac glucomannan

The high popularity of wheat-based food such as noodles in Indonesia has caused a large increase in wheat imports. Sorghum and rice are two local ingredients found in Indonesia; however, sorghum is not largely used as the main grain source, especially in noodle making. This research aimed to determine the effect of the ratio between sorghum flour and rice flour, and konjac glucomannan concentration on noodle analogue characteristics. Konjac glucomannan was added at different concentrations (3%, 4%, 5%) to different ratios of sorghum-rice flours (50:50, 25:75, 0:100). Results showed that the best formulation was a noodle analogue made with a 25:75 sorghum-rice flour ratio and 4% konjac glucomannan. The best-formulated noodle analogue had a higher moisture content (13.35±0.38%), higher fat, and higher carbohydrate (71.93±0.11%), but lower protein and ash content than the commercial wheat-based noodle. It also had a lower starch (60.43%) and dietary fibre content (10.34%), higher cooking loss (9.44±0.60%), and lower water absorption (176.45±4.86%) compared to commercial wheat-based noodle. In terms of textural and mechanical properties, the best-formulated noodle analogue had lower hardness, higher adhesiveness, lower springiness, lower cohesiveness, lower tensile strength, and lower elongation. However, the multiple comparison test showed that panellists perceived the best-formulated noodle analogue to be comparable to commercial wheat-based noodle, in terms of aroma, chewiness, hardness, and adhesiveness.

A comparative analytical study of the most important wheat varieties in Qena Governorate

A comparative analytical study of the most important wheat varieties in Qena Governorate