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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Wooster, Ohio » Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research » Research » Research Project #427603

Research Project: Cooperative Milling and Baking Evaluation for Eastern U.S. Wheat Breeding Programs

Location: Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research

Project Number: 5082-43440-001-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 1, 2014
End Date: Aug 31, 2019

Objective:
Explore the genetic variation in milling quality traits and flour functional properties required for production of conventional and non-conventional soft wheat products in eastern soft wheat. The evaluations are done by ARS and Cooperator performs electron microscopic evaluation of microstructural characteristics of grain and bran, and their genetic associations, then incorporates our data into their program as well.

Approach:
Annually, approximately 23 public and private soft wheat breeding programs, crop improvement associations, and wheat marketing associations from the eastern half of the United States will send the SWQL up to 400 micro-sized (200 grams) and 60 macro-sized (400 grams) test lines. Samples for breeding and genetic studies total more than 5,000 annually. Samples will arrive from June through February; one to six months post harvest. Breeders supply known quality check samples, against which test lines are contrasted. Each sample set is part of a controlled breeding experiment designed to achieve a specific research objective within the researcher’s program. Most are selection experiments to identify superior genotypes for cultivar release.