Pan bread and raw Chinese noodle qualities in hard winter wheat genotypes grown in water-limited environments

An objective for U.S. hard winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar development is superior quality for both bread and Asian noodle products. Associations among bread and Asian noodle quality traits were examined in two sets of elite and two sets of nonselected germplasm. Sixteen adapted hard wheats grown in eight Montana environments and nine of the same lines grown in 12 environments were evaluated for raw Chinese noodle and bread quality. Also, 1495 and 1580 F5-derived F6 selections made without quality information in 1998 and 1999, respectively, were screened for grain protein content, sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDSS) volume, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Objectives were to assess genotypic variation for bread and noodle characteristics, examine associations among bread and noodle quality parameters, and identify positive genetic traits for cultivars targeted towards dual utilization. Of the 16 elite genotypes, three had acceptable bread and Chinese noodle qualities, four had relatively good noodle quality but average bread quality, and five had outstanding bread quality but poor noodle quality. Cultivars classified as acceptable for noodle color properties included both high and low PPO types. On the basis of correlation analyses, genotypes with higher flour protein and loaf volume produced noodles with lower initial and 24-h brightness. The relationship between flour protein and noodle brightness was homogeneous among cultivars. Environments favoring development of higher flour protein and superior bread quality produced noodles with poorer brightness. Flour protein was positively correlated with noodle hardness in some but not all environments. In early-generation germplasm we found little association between protein content, SDSS volume, and PPO level, suggesting we may be able to combine high protein content, high protein quality, and low PPO levels to produce cultivars with superior bread and Asian noodle quality.