END-USE QUALITY OF INTRODUCED WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) GERMPLASM UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS IN MEXICO

Rainfed bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Mexico faces marketing limitations due to its inadequate industrial quality, which is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and by its interaction. The aim of this research was to identify the contribution of these factors in the quality of genotypes introduced from the USA and Canada, and use them as a genetic source in the rainfed wheat program of the National Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research Institute (INIFAP). Sixteen genotypes were planted in eight places under rainfed conditions. The evaluation of the industrial quality included hectoliter weight, grain hardness and grain protein, sedimentation volume, dough strength, extensibility, and bread volume. Grain hardness and protein content were affected 60 and 56 % by the genotype, whereas the effect on the hectoliter weight, volume of sedimentation, dough strength and bread volume were due to the locations, since they accounted for 48, 45, and 38 of the total variation, respectively. For dough strength, the participation of environmental and genotypical variances had similar contributions of 40 and 37 %. The genotypes Keene, SD3249, HY437, BW725, Blue sky and Kulm stood out for their volumes of bread higher than 873 mL, since combined, they presented high percentages of protein, and strong and extensible or balanced gluten; HY439 and HY632 were related to values higher than 15.9 % of protein content in grains. Based on this, in the introduced germplasm, there are genotypes that must be used as parents in the crossing plan of the rainfed bread wheat breeding program to improve the bread volume, firmness and extensibility of the dough, and protein content in the grain.