Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
Sedimentation studies of hard red spring and hard red winter wheat produced in South Dakota were begun at South Dakota State College in 1962. A grant from the South Dakota Wheat Commission facilitated the purchase of necessary equipment for a sedimentation testing laboratory supervised by the Agronomy Seed Laboratory. The sedimentation test is a composite evaluation of both the quantity and quality of protein in bread wheat. It is not a complete measure of baking quality, but it is an easily performed test which indicates, in a general way, the market quality (bread making quality) of a sample of wheat. High sedimentation test readings indicate wheat high in protein content and in protein quality. Such wheat yields flour that has a high bread loaf volume and commands a premium on the market. Low sedimentation readings indicate wheat that is low in protein content and/or quality. Wheat samples were collected in South Dakota from many sources such as: county crop shows, county demonstration plots, experiment stations and substations, and certified seed producers. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the results of tests on wheat samples growing in 1961 and 1962. (See more in Text