Genotype-based Stability of Dough Quality in Wheat from Different Growth Environments

Consistency of dough properties is an important requirement of millers and bakers. Attempts to achieve this aim by prior testing (prediction) of grain samples might become unnecessary if varieties could be identified that are largely tolerant to the effects of growth conditions on dough quality. Three commercial Australian wheat varieties (Janz, EGA Gregory and LongReach Guardian) were grown in four different locations in New South Wales, Australia. Their dough quality was evaluated by several small-scale methods to determine the extent to which the varieties differed in dough quality due to variations in growth conditions. Of these varieties, LongReach Guardian showed stability of dough quality irrespective of growth conditions as indicated by the results of SIG testing, of ten-gram Mixograph, extension testing and of fundamental dough testing, based on G(1) and Hencky strain. This pilot-scale experiment indicates that there is significant promise in breeding varieties for tolerance to the effects of growth conditions on dough quality.