Does Wheat Cultivar Choice Affect Crop Quality and Soil Microbial Communities in Cropping Systems?

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars may have differential effects on soil microbial communities and the breadmaking quality of harvested grain. We compared six Canadian spring wheat cultivars under organic and conventional management systems for yield, breadmaking quality and soil phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) profile. Yields were lower, but protein levels were higher in the organic system. Cultivars differed for quality traits, but all cultivars had acceptable levels for processing. There were small differences in PLFA profiles for cultivars in the conventional system, but none in the organic system. More significant correlations between grain quality and PLFA measures were present in the organic system. Protein levels and breadmaking quality at least equal to conventional systems can be achieved in organic systems. Wheat cultivars differed for grain quality in both organic and conventional systems, and culivars altered the soil microbial profile in conventional systems. Microbes may play a greater role in determining crop quality in organic systems than in conventional systems

Sulfur and baking-quality of breadmaking wheat

It is well known in biological science that all factors applied to living organisms (light, water, warmth, fertilizers etc.) show an optimum, when their input is increased. Healthy organisms and sus-tainable systems are, on the long run, only achieved when care is taken not to destroy this equilibrium of factors producing an optimum. With regard to the baking quality of wheat breeders and cereal scientists obviously failed to achieve this aim by breeding their cultivars on the background of ample S depositions in the ecosystems. They (involuntarily) selected plants showing definite characteristics of S deficiency (higher proportions of HMW-glutenin, stronger gluten and dough) even under conditions of ample S supply. I suppose they also selected plants with a high warmth susceptibility as this also delivers firm protein structure. When this environ-mental pollution was stopped and S supplies returned to natural conditions, even with a non S craving plant like wheat, problems arose with the gluten structure as doughs turned out so strong that the baking volume decreased. So one may ask, particularly with regard to S, if the plant constitutions of our modern wheat cultivars are still harmonious and in balance. And as a consequence ot that also the nutritional quality of these cultivars is rather questionable

Identification of Traits Underpinning Good Breadmaking Performance of Wheat Grown with Reduced Nitrogen Fertilisation

Background: Nitrogen fertiliser is the major input and cost for wheat production, being required to support the development of the canopy to maximise yield and for the synthesis of the gluten proteins that are necessary for breadmaking. Consequently, current high-yielding cultivars require the use of nitrogen fertilisation levels above the yield optimum to achieve the grain protein content needed for breadmaking. This study aimed to reduce this requirement by identifying traits that allow the use of lower levels of nitrogen fertiliser to produce wheat for breadmaking. Results: A range of commercial wheat genotypes (cultivars) were grown in multiple field trials (six sites over 3 years) in the UK with optimal (200 kg Ha-1) and suboptimal (150 kg Ha-1) application of nitrogen. Bulked grain samples from four sites per year were milled and white flours were baked using three types of breadmaking process. This identified five cultivars that consistently exhibited good breadmaking quality when grown with the lower nitrogen application. Chemical and biochemical analyses showed that the five cultivars were characterised by exhibiting grain protein deviation (GPD) and high dough elasticity. Conclusions: It is possible to develop novel types of wheat that exhibit good breadmaking quality by selecting for GPD and high dough strengt

The identification of wheat genetic resources with high dietary fiber content

The quality properties of different variety mixtures and composite cross populations were studied with the aim of identifying genotypes with high dietary fiber content and to cultivate and examine the effect of these components on the end-use quality. Based on the results of a Europe-wide trial, we could detect two populations and variety mixtures which had significantly higher total (TOTAX) and water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) content, than most of the studied genotypes, with positive effect on the human health. These populations/mixtures are promising dietary fiber resources and suitable not only for organic but also for conventional farming, especially in Central Europe. The seeds of the best population (Mv Elit CCP) was multiplied to supply it for interested farmers in Hungary in the frame of the European trial on organic heterogeneous materials

Wheat glutenin subunits and dough elasticity: findings of the EUROWHEAT project

Detailed studies of wheat glutenin subunits have provided novel details of their molecular structures and interactions which allow the development of a model to explain their role in determining the visco-elastic properties of gluten and dough. The construction and analysis of near-isogenic and transgenic lines expressing novel subunit combinations or increased amounts of specific subunits allows differences in gluten properties to be related to the structures and properties of individual subunits, with potential benefits for the production of cultivars with improved properties for food processing or novel end user

Bioaccessibility, physicochemical, sensorial, and nutritional characteristics of bread containing broccoli co‐products

The effects of the inclusion of industrial broccoli co‐products namely stalks and leaves into bread on physicochemical and nutritional properties were evaluated. Incorporation of powdered broccoli co‐products at a concentration of 2% (w/w) into bread formulations resulted in decreased weight and specific volumes when compared to the control (p < 0.05). Broccoli‐containing breads showed an increased green hue and a higher crust and crumb color intensity (p < 0.05). Incorporation of broccoli co‐products into bread formulations significantly increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the breads (p < 0.05). The overall acceptance and appearance of the breads were not affected by broccoli incorporation. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the three formulations increased after the gastric and intestinal phases of digestion when compared to the initial stage, measured from a methanol:water extract (p < 0.05). Results obtained herein could open novel commercial opportunities for food processors and reduce the amount of food discarded as waste.This work was supported by the CERCA Programme of Generalitat de Catalunya. T. Lafarga is in receipt of Juan de la Cierva contract awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FJCI-2016-29541). I. Aguiló-Aguayo thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund for the Postdoctoral Senior Grant Ramon y Cajal (RYC-2016-19949). Authors thank Congelados de Navarra S.A.U (Navarra, Spain) for kindly providing broccoli processing co-products

Review of obstacles to meeting the Defra Action Plan targets for organic cereals

The Defra ‘Action Plan to Develop Organic Food and Farming in England’ identifies cereals as the organic commodity farthest from meeting demand from UK production. The project quantified the extent and nature of this deficit and collected information on constraints from research projects and reviews, from advisers & farmers and from cereal buyers & end users. The obstacles to increased organic cereal production were identified and suggestions made on what Defra and the industry could do to help overcome them. The study focused on England but, as the main buyers of cereals operate across the UK, the supply and demand modelling was of necessity done on that basis. As identified by the Defra Organic Action Plan and by the Scotland and Wales plans, there is a lack of collated and reliable data on organic and in-conversion crop areas across the UK. Our calculations are based on best estimates, where possible confirmed from more than one source. There is a very limited scope for an increase in total grain production from existing organic farms due to rotational limitations. It is clear from consultations with grain buyers that their overwhelming requirement is for wheat for breadmaking and animal feed. Triticale and barley will continue to be difficult to sell to the feed compounders. There may be some scope for changing the balance of cereal species grown on existing organic farms. However, this is likely to be limited by constraints of location and soil type as the majority of the organic land in England, and in the UK, is on soils unsuited to wheat production. It may be more productive to seek direct sale to other farmers for these grains. The fragmented nature of supply with many farms selling small quantities of grain makes sourcing supply of consistent quality difficult for the large purchasers. Co-operation, with regional cleaning and storage facilities, has been suggested by many as a way to more effectively compete with imports. Work in this area has been started by Organic Grain LINK with Defra support under the ERDP. Our consultations show that the dominant constraints to further conversion to organic methods are concerns about marketing and profitability. These concerns are not specific to cereals which have remained relatively profitable, but are more related to falling prices for other products such as potatoes, and some vegetables. These potentially high gross-margin crops are the key to farm profitability in stockless arable systems where they balance the high levels of set-aside employed. With slowing retail growth and still more land coming through conversion, this situation is unlikely to improve in the short term. Although technical constraints are not dominant in decisions of conversion, they are limiting yield and quality of organic cereals and hence also the saleability and value of the grain. A better understanding of N availability should come from Defra project OF0316 but further work on agronomy and grain quality is necessary. We recommend action in four areas, in line with priorities 2, 4 and 5 in the Defra Action Plan: 1. The most critical constraint on the development of the UK organic cereal supply is economic viability, particularly in the context of a 2-3 year lag between starting conversion and marketing organic produce. It is recommended that the new support system (under ELS) should be devised to deliver long-term environmental benefits (through ongoing payments) while minimising short-term market distortions (through conversion support). A higher level of annual payment than the modified OFS is needed, as £30/ha is unlikely to provide sufficient incentive for further substantial conversion of arable farms. 2. The availability of good data on supply and demand, by species, is needed. This would give buyers and sellers more confidence and help farmers plan rotations to better meet market demand. This shortcoming was identified in the Defra Organic Action Plan and action is underway. 3. Co-operation between organic cereal producers should be encouraged to allow better cleaning & storage, and bulking to create larger quantities for sale. The Organic Grain Link initiative is helping publicise the availability of support from ERDP for marketing and facilities and could be a model for wider application. 4. Whilst not the primary constraint to increase in cereal production, technical issues are limiting the yield and quality of grain, farm profitability, adding cost to the supply chain, and making produce less competitive with imports. Direct issues include improving breadmaking quality and a better understanding of the interactions of seed rate, sowing date and row width. There are also issues affecting organic livestock production that will impact on demand for cereals. These include the ending of the derogations on feeding synthetic amino acids, non-organic feed inclusion and pullet rearing. These will all add substantially to livestock production costs and are likely to require further research to find innovative technical and management solutions to maintain and expand these sectors and their associated demands for cereals. Defra funding may be necessary to make immediate progress on these issues in view of the current stop on new projects by the HGCA. Future changes in supply and demand for organic cereals will be influenced by a range of complex and interacting factors which make precise predictions of the likely impacts of these actions impossible. However, together they should help maintain current organic cereal production and create the best environment for the industry to respond to future market needs

Effects of the functional Gpc-­B1 allele on soft durum wheat grain, milling, flour, dough, and breadmaking quality

Background and objectives: Utilization of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) can be enhanced by increasing grain and flour protein content. One strategy to increase protein content is by introducing the functional Gpc-B1 allele from wild emmer (Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccoides). Findings: Introduction of the functional Gpc-B1 allele into soft kernel durum increased grain and flour protein by 17 g/kg, increased dough strength as evidenced by SDS sedimentation volume and Mixograph dough mixing parameters, and increased straight-dough pan bread volume. When grown under arid conditions, high protein (151 g/kg) samples had decreased loaf volumes indicative of inelastic doughs. The functional Gpc-B1 allele was associated with decreased test weight, a small increase in SKCS hardness, and a modest increase in flour ash; otherwise, milling performance was not affected. Conclusions: Introgression of the Gpc-B1 functional allele from dicoccoides into durum wheat can improve dough strength and breadmaking quality. The effect tends to be consistent over environments but overall, Gpc-B1 made only a modest improvement in durum wheat breadmaking quality. Further studies with concomitant selection at other loci are needed to see the effects of Gpc-B1 among elite germplasm. Significance and novelty: Durum wheat production and consumption will increase as bread quality improves. The functional Gpc-B1 allele contributed to improved breadmaking quality. The present report is the first to examine the effect of this allele on breadmaking in durum wheat