Genetic improvement of grain quality traits for CIMMYT semi-dwarf spring bread wheat varieties developed during 1965-2015: 50 years of breeding

The Global Wheat Program, now managed by the CGIAR consortium and led by CIMMYT, initiated wheat breeding about 70 years ago in Mexico. Currently, the key objectives are to develop wheat cultivars that have superior grain yield, durable disease resistance, drought and heat tolerance and meet the processing and end-use quality needs for diverse worldwide processing conditions and products. In this study, the genetic gains in grain quality of semi-dwarf spring wheat cultivars developed from 1965 to 2015 by CIMMYT and related breeding programs of national partners in the target areas were examined. Genetic gains for test weight, thousand kernel weight, grain hardness, flour yield, gluten extensibility and protein content were non-significant, and these traits remained stable despite grain yield increase over years. Positive genetic gains were found for dough strength related parameters mixograph mixing time (0.026 min. per year), torque (0.93 per year) and alveograph W (2.31 J*10-4 per year), and bread-making quality (loaf volume, 1.32 mL per year). We concluded that genetic gains for grain yield of CIMMYT spring wheat cultivars demonstrated by previous studies were not at the expense of processing and end-use quality traits. Both types of traits have been improved in the last 50 years through direct selection ensuring the acceptability of CIMMYT germplasm in the target countries by all wheat value chain stakeholders.