Abstract:

In China, regional planning for wheat quality consists of three regions and 10 subregions. The main wheat-producing area is composed of several subregions, such as Northern part of North China (I), Northern part of Huang-Huai Region (II), Southern part of Huang-Huai Region (III), and Middle-to-Lower Reaches of Yangtze River (IV). Generally, wheat cultivars growing in the four subregions are characterized with strong gluten, strong-to-medium gluten, medium gluten, and medium-to-weak gluten, respectively. To study the distribution of cultivars with various quality types, a total of 2 571 samples of 174 wheat cultivars collected from the four subregions in 2003–2007 were analyzed with 14 quality traits. There were significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) variations among the four subregions in each year. However, the variance trends were not consistent across years. Based on the averages of the five years, significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) differences were observed among various subregions in kernel protein content, wet gluten content, forming time, stability time, loaf volume, and loaf score, which in the four subregions were sanked as I > II > III > IV. Cultivars from I and II subregions performed higher falling number, flour yield, sedimentation value, water absorption, extension area, extensibility, and maximum resistance to extensibility than those from III and IV subregions. Most of the strong-gluten cultivars were distributed in I and II subregions, and the medium-gluten and weak-gluten wheat were mainly planted in III and IV subregions, respectively.

Key words: Wheat, Quality, Regional planning