Genetic diversity of wheat storage proteins and bread wheat quality

To understand the genetic and biochemical basis of the bread makingquality of wheat varieties, a large experiment was carried out with a set of162 hexaploid bread wheat varieties registered in the French or EuropeanWheat Catalogue. This material was used to analyse their allelic compositionat the twelve main storage protein loci. A large genetic and biochemicaldiversity of the gluten proteins was found. Several gliadin encoding lociexhibited the highest allelic diversity whereas the lowest diversity was foundfor Glu-A1 and Glu-D3 loci encoding some high molecularweight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and LMW-GS respectively. Thevarieties were grown in three experimental locations in France. Qualityevaluation was carried out from material harvested in each location usingseven technological tests: grain protein content (Prot), grain hardness(GH), Zeleny sedimentation test (Zel), Pelshenke test (Pel), water solublepentosans (relative viscosity: Vr ), mixograph test (giving 11 parameters)and the alveograph test (dough strength W, tenacity P , extensibility L,swelling G, ratio P/L and the elasticity index Ie). Genetic and locationeffects as well as broad-sense heritability of each of the 22 technologicalparameters were calculated. GH, corresponding to the major Ha gene, Pel,and MtxW (mixograph parameter) had the highest heritability coefficients,alveograph parameters like W, P, the relative viscosity Vr and severalmixograph parameters had medium heritability coefficients whereas Protand L had the lowest. Variance analysis (using GLM procedure) allowed theeffect of the allelic diversity of the storage proteins, on the geneticvariations of each quality parameters, to be estimated. Glu-1 and Glu-3 loci had significant additive effects in the genetic variations of manyparameters. Gliadin alleles encoded at Gli-1 and Gli-2 were alsofound to play significant effect on several quality parameters. The majorpart of the phenotypic variation of the different quality parameters like Zel,Pel, W or mixograph peak time MPT was explained with the GH and allelesencoded at Glu-1 and Glu-3. Allelic variants encoded at Glu3and Gli-2 had similar contribution to the phenotypic variations ofquality parameters and accounted for 4% up to 21% each.