Evaluation of baking quality of wheat produced by farmers in Iran at rainfed and irrigated farms

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Prof., Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran.

2 Coach, Agriculture Research and Garden Research Department, Lorestan Province Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Promotion Organization, Boroujerd, Iran.

10.22126/cbb.2025.12418.1115

Abstract

Introduction: In addition to the genetic structure of the grain, the baking quality of wheat is influenced by a set of effects of soil, water, air, seed and grain storage. Climatic conditions and crop management, such as the amount of irrigation water, fertiliser, pest and disease management, harvesting conditions and the way wheat is stored until it is converted into flour, all affect the final quality of the bread produced. The quality of bread depends on the quality of the wheat produced. On the other hand, the baking value of different wheat cultivars depends on the amount of their components, especially the gluten in the grain. The quality of wheat varies across different cultivars and climatic conditions. Examining the diversity between wheat produced in different parts of the country can help researchers identify superior cultivars and better climatic conditions, leading to precise planning for higher wheat production. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the baking quality of wheat produced throughout 31 provinces of Iran during a five-year study.
Materials and methods: In this study, the quality of wheat cultivars produced in farmers' fields was examined. In this study, 6787 samples of 34 wheat cultivars were collected during five years from 2015 to 2019 nationwide and were examined for baking quality.
Results: The results of this study showed that the highest thousand kernel weight, by 46.1 g, belonged to irrigated wheat cv. Ehsan. Also, the highest grain protein content was obtained in irrigated wheat cv. Mehrgan (12.4 %). The highest wet gluten content was recorded in irrigated wheat cv Verinak (29.7 %). Between rainfed cultivars, the highest grain hardness index was recorded in Zagros cultivar by 49.7. The results also indicated that the highest Zeleny sediment volume was obtained in irrigated wheat cv—Verinak by 32.3 ml. The results showed that the highest SDS sediment height was related to the Mehrgan cultivar (63.1mm), and the Homa cultivar had the lowest SDS sediment volume by 49.3 mm.
Conclusion: In general, the results showed that overall, the baking quality of irrigated wheats produced in Iran was higher than that of rainfed wheats, and the Ehsan, Mehregan, and Verinak cultivars had higher baking quality for bread production. The existence of a positive correlation between quality traits provides the opportunity to select desirable wheat populations with better baking characteristics by selecting cultivars that have related quality characteristics. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to plan at the macro-level the production of high-quality wheat cultivars for the production of desirable bread.

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Main Subjects


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