Quality characteristics of registered cultivars and advanced lines of durum wheats grown in different ecological regions of Turkey

In this study, pasta-quality-associated characteristics of 25 durum wheat genotypes were investigated. Durum wheat genotypes consisted of 13 advanced experimental lines and 12 registered cultivars that were grown in three different locations of Turkey for 2 yr. Genotype, location, year and their interactions were found to be statistically significant in terms of all investigated quality characteristics. Mean quality parameters for the genotypes varied as follows: yellowberry kernel 1.7-6.1%, pigment content 3.67-8.31 mg kg(-1), lipoxygenase (LOX) activity 12.9-27.9 EU g(-1), protein content 10.8-11.8% (14% mb), gluten index (GI) 12-61, sodium dodecyl sulphate-sedimentation volume 17.3-28.7 mL, specific sedimentation volume 1.60-2.52 mL. Of the genotypes, 10 contained gamma-gliadin 45 and six gamma-gliadin 42 proteins. Except for Zenit, none of the registered cultivars and advanced experimental lines investigated in this study were able to meet simultaneously the requirements for high-quality pasta products; yet certain experimental lines prevailing in specific quality characteristics, such as Line-Gdem-2, Line-Gdem-12 and Line-20, may be used for further breeding purposes. The results of this study also imply that grain yield and quality should be taken collectively into consideration in wheat breeding programs.