End-Use Quality of CIMMYT-Derived Soft Kernel Durum Wheat Germplasm: Grain, Milling and Soft Wheat Quality.

Wheat kernel texture is used in part to define U.S. wheat market class due to its importance in end-use quality and utilization. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) has lower demand and fewer culinary end-uses compared to bread wheat, in part, because of its extremely hard kernel texture, which precludes conventional milling. Recently a new durum cultivar with soft kernel texture, cv. Soft Svevo, was developed by the Ph1b-mediated homoeologous transfer of the Puroindoline genes at the Ha locus from the D genome of T. aestivum. The objective of this research was to evaluate soft kernel durum germplasm developed from crossing Soft Svevo to selected entries of the CIMMYT 44^th International Durum Yield Nursery. Forty-six F_2:5 soft durum full and half sib lines were grown in replicated field plots at two locations. Grain samples were evaluated for grain, milling, and soft wheat end-use quality. Significant differences (p<0.05) were detected amongst lines for all grain traits including SKCS kernel hardness (2.0-25.7 HI), break flour yield (37.7-43.8 g 100 g^-1), flour yield (58.9-65.9 g 100 g^-1), starch damage (1.11-1.77 g 100 g^-1), flour protein (11.5-13.5 g 100 g^-1), SRC water (49.1-57.0 g 100 g^-1), SRC sodium carbonate (59.8 g 100 g^-1 -68.8 g 100 g^-1), SRC sucrose (90.6-105.0 g 100g^-1), and cookie diameter (8.7-9.6 cm). No differences were detected for flour ash concentration. These results indicate that soft kernel texture is easily transferrable, broadly applicable, and that genetic variation among hard kernel durum parents confer significant differences in end-use quality when evaluated using traditional soft wheat parameters.