Paradigms of Sustaining Quality Traits in Bread Wheat

Abstract Multi-environment data of four popular timely and four late-sown bread wheat varieties was examined for five crop seasons at five locations i.e., 25 environments to derive sustainability index (SI) in twelve quality traits and grain yield. SI was very high in bread and chapati quality, test weight, and flour recovery; moderate in protein, grain hardness, biscuit quality, gluten strength, and gluten quality; and poor in gluten, zinc, and iron contents. The adverse effect of late plating was realized in the sustainability of sedimentation value, gluten index, and iron. Variation sources impactful in the vulnerable quality were trait-specific. Crop year was the primary variation source in grain hardness, protein, sedimentation value, gluten index, and biscuit quality whereas location effect was the key in protein, gluten, iron, and zinc contents. Even in the commercial varieties, genotypes regulated the variations recorded in the strength and quality of the gluten. Genotypic differences in sustaining quality were observed for biscuit quality in timely-sown wheat, and gluten index and iron in the late-sown wheat. The analogy has been drawn between the quality and productivity of wheat for sustainability and the effect of the variation sources. Prospects of improvisation have been explored by selection of a better genotype or location. It has been envisaged that climatic variations can be challenging in sustaining the quality of gluten; grain hardness and iron content.