Genotypic Variation in Quality Parameters of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Muhammad Ihsan Ali2, Kiran Dost1*, Nimra Gul1, Zafran khan1, Imran Khan5, Rabia Dilshad1, Rizwana Maqbool3, Muhammad Kashif1 and Hira Shair4

1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad 2Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad 3CAS-AFS Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad 4Wheat Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad 5Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

Abstract

Wheat is an important cereal crop enriched in minerals, dietary fiber, vitamins, and crude protein used as a staple food in many countries of the world. This experiment was conducted to assess the protein in ten different genotypes of bread wheat. These genotypes were named as Kohistan-97, Chakwal-86, Maxi Pak-65, 36 ESWYT-142, 36 ESWYT-145, Chakwal-50, Aas-2011, Johar-2016, Anaj-2017 and Akbar-2019. This research investigates the genotypic variation in quality parameters of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) focusing on key traits including moisture content, crude protein, starch, fiber, wet gluten, dry gluten, gluten index, and fat. A total of ten wheat genotypes were evaluated for their biochemical properties using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and traditional methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among genotypes for all parameters assessed using Statistix 8.1. Tukey’s test was applied to compare the mean values of parameters collected from different genotypes. Aas-2011 exhibited the highest crude protein content (13.64%) and Maxi Pak-65 showed the highest moisture content (11.40%). Mean comparisons further highlighted substantial variations, particularly in wet gluten and gluten index, where Akbar-2019 and Aas-2011 displayed the highest values. Correlation analysis demonstrated complex interactions between quality parameters and grain yield, revealing a strong negative correlation between crude protein and yield, while starch content showed a positive correlation with yield. These findings underscore the potential of specific wheat genotypes to enhance nutritional quality and processing attributes. The results of this study contribute valuable insights for breeding programs aimed at improving wheat quality, thereby supporting agricultural sustainability and food security.