Use of rapid tests to predict quality traits of CIMMYT bread wheat genotypes grown under different environments

• The three rapid tests used are under strong genetic control.
• Swelling index of glutenin is the best methodology for predicting gluten strength.
• Swelling index of glutenin and SDS sedimentation can predict bread loaf volume.
• Grain traits can be combined with rapid tests to improve the predictions.

At the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), wheat quality improvement is an important goal of breeding. CIMMYT scientists develop germplasm, which is diverse for quality traits intended for use in the preparation of different wheat-based products. The integration of quality traits is complex due to the high cost of conducting traditional quality tests. One option for tackling this problem is the use of such rapid-small-scale methods as Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC), SDS Sedimentation (SDSS) and Swelling Index of Glutenin (SIG) to predict flour performance. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of genotypes, contrasting environmental conditions and their interactions (GxE) on different rapid-small-scale tests, and to identify their suitability for use in prediction of quality traits. A significant GxE effect was observed for all three methodologies. Overall, SIG was found to be the best predictor of gluten strength across different environments. It was also best at determining bread-making quality in some environments, followed by SDSS for bread making. SRC was found to be useful to select for gluten strength, but for extensibility and bread-making more grain data is needed.