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High protein concentration is one of the main requirements for baking quality in wheat, and is of economic importance for farmers since a premium is often paid for this attribute. Improving both grain yield and protein content has been a difficult task, because the two traits are negatively correlated. We collected data on grain yield and grain protein concentration from yield trials with 25 entries, designed as square lattice in 3 replications in two years, 5 locations and different management variants, totalling 25 conditions. Eleven Romanian winter wheat cultivars and the Russian cultivar Bezostaya 1 were common in all conditions and were included in the calculation of Grain Protein Deviations from the regressions on grain yield (GPD). The winter wheat line Profund, bred at NARDI Fundulea, showed high and relatively stable positive GPD in all yield trials, in very different conditions in which yields varied between 2046 and 9838 kg ha-1, and protein concentration between 8.6 and 15% on average over all tested cultivars. The GPD of this line was on average +1.24% and was positive in all trials. This unusual performance might be due to the presence of genes introgressed from Aegilops tauschii, possibly complemented with favourable genes present in the Romanian cultivar Pitar. The line Profund could be recommended as a potential parent in breeding for improved GPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing Nitrogen fertilizer rates might contribute to improving wheat production economic efficiency and to reducing the impact on environment through nitrate leaching, use of fossil fuels for manufacture and application, as well as nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Seventeen winter wheat cultivars were tested with recommended and reduced N fertilization during 4 years in three locations. Relative grain yield, protein concentration and protein yield per hectare under reduced fertilization, as percentage from the performance with recommended N fertilization, showed very large variation due to environment, the effect of cultivars being much smaller, but still significant. The effect of reduced N fertilization was larger for grain yield than for protein concentration. For grain yield and protein yield per hectare the highest reduction was found in cultivars originating from the Fundulea breeding program, while the smallest reduction was found in cultivar Adelina (bred at Şimnic), suggesting a possible relationship with the natural soil fertility at the breeding site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]