Multi-Year Assessment of Wheat Quality Parameters and Climatic Interactions: Implications for the Commodity Market

Real-time, rapid, and accurate evaluation of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality is crucial for ensuring nutritional content, informing fair pricing in commodity markets, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. This study investigated the inter-cultivar and inter-annual variations in quality parameters of winter bread wheat from local farmers in Central Anatolia. 162 samples from 24 cultivars, harvested across four years with distinct climatic conditions between 2014-2017, were analyzed for analytical (total protein content, wet gluten content, sedimentation volume) and physical quality parameters (hectoliter weight, Hunter color parameters, kernel dimensions, weight, volume, and density). Grain size and color were found to be unreliable indicators of protein content, with significant variations within color groups. Cultivar-specific differences were evident in protein content, gluten content, and sedimentation volume, highlighting the genetic influence on grain quality. Inter-annual variability in quality parameters was primarily driven by total rainfall during grain filling, affecting starch accumulation and grain size. Interestingly, the ratio of gluten to total protein remained relatively stable across different climatic conditions. These findings emphasize the importance of considering both cultivar-specific characteristics and environmental factors in wheat quality evaluation. Limitations of current methods necessitate the development of rapid and simultaneous multi-property measurement approaches for efficient wheat analysis.