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Summary: Gluten is composed of glutenins and gliadins and determines the viscoelastic properties of dough and end‐use quality in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Gliadins are important for wheat end‐use traits, but the contribution of individual gliadin genes is unclear, since gliadins are encoded by a complex, multigenic family, including many pseudogenes.We used CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene editing and map‐based cloning to investigate the contribution of the γ‐gliadin genes annotated in the wheat cultivar 'Fielder', showing that Gli‐γ1‐1D and Gli‐γ2‐1B account for most of the γ‐gliadin accumulation.The impaired activity of only two γ‐gliadin genes in knockout mutants improved end‐use quality and reduced gluten epitopes associated with celiac disease (CD). Furthermore, we identified an elite haplotype of Gli‐γ1‐1D linked to higher end‐use quality in a wheat germplasm collection and developed a molecular marker for this allele for marker‐assisted selection.Our findings provide information and tools for biotechnology‐based and classical breeding programs aimed at improving wheat end‐use quality. See also the Commentary on this article by Gao & Liu, 239: 5–6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We identified ten QTLs controlling SDS-SV trait in a RIL population derived from ND3331 and Zang1817. Pinb-D1p is an elite allele from Tibetan semi‑wild wheat for good end-use quality. Gluten strength is an important factor for wheat processing and end-product quality and is commonly characterized using the sodium dodecyl sulfate-sedimentation volume (SDS-SV) test. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with wheat SDS-SV traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from common wheat line NongDa3331 (ND3331) and Tibetan semi-wild wheat accession Zang1817. We detected 10 QTLs controlling SDS-SV on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5D, 6B and 7A, with individual QTLs explaining 2.02% to 15.53% of the phenotypic variation. They included four major QTLs, Qsdss-1A, Qsdss-1B.1, Qsdss-1B.2, and Qsdss-5D, whose effects on SDS-SV were due to the Glu-A1 locus encoding the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit 1Ax1, the 1B/1R translocation, 1Bx7 + 1By8 at the Glu-B1 locus, and the hardness-controlling loci Pina-D1 and Pinb-D1, respectively. We developed KASP markers for the Glu-A1, Glu-B1, and Pinb-D1 loci. Importantly, we showed for the first time that the hardness allele Pinb-D1p positively affects SDS-SV, making it a good candidate for wheat quality improvement. These results broaden our understanding of the genetic characterization of SDS-SV, and the QTLs identified are potential target regions for fine-mapping and marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]