Evaluation of Grain and Milling Quality of Introduced Spring Wheat Variety Resources

Objective To screen for superior varieties, 93 spring wheat resources introduced from abroad were evaluated for grain quality and milling quality, aiming to provide material choices for wheat quality breeding.

Methods Grain quality traits were measured using a Perten DA7250 near-infrared grain analyzer. Flour was prepared using a Brabender Quadrumat Junior experimental mill (Germany), and dough rheological properties during mixing were determined using a National Mixograph (USA).

Results The coefficients of variation for the 7 grain quality traits ranged from 0.05% to 12.80%, with hardness showing the smallest variation and wet gluten content showing the largest. Among the 93 resources, 27 had protein content >18%, 51 had sedimentation value >40 mL, 53 had wet gluten content >38%, and 56 had hardness >68%. Nine materials exhibited excellent performance in all four traits. The coefficients of variation for the 7 milling quality traits ranged from 2.80% to 44.79%, with flour whiteness showing the smallest variation and 8-min bandwidth showing the largest. Correlation analysis showed that the 7 grain quality traits were significantly correlated with each other; the correlations among the 7 milling quality traits varied considerably; and the correlations between grain quality and milling quality traits were relatively complex. Grain protein content, sedimentation value, starch content, and wet gluten content were mostly significantly correlated with milling quality traits, while grain moisture content, hardness, flour yield, and test weight were mostly not significantly correlated with milling quality traits.

Conclusion The 93 introduced spring wheat resources exhibited considerable variation in both grain quality and milling quality, and the correlations between the 7 grain quality traits and the 7 milling quality traits were relatively complex. Based on comprehensive quality performance, 9 spring wheat resources with superior grain quality were selected, which can serve as reference parental materials for spring wheat quality breeding.