Novel approach to determining temperature effects on wheat protein composition and quality attributes

A hard finish due to drought and/or a hot finish to a wheat season alter post anthesis grain filling leading to lower seed set, smaller grain size and altered wheat seed content. This has immediate quality implications on screenings due to small grains but also storage-induced quality changes and altered functional protein contents of grain effecting dough and baking parameters. Grain protein composition is also significantly affected at temperatures below 18C, and combined with rain in a soft finish is known to lead to poor grain appearance measures and weaken dough strength. This project will define the grain proteins that change in abundance and genes that encode them in wheat genotypes using new high-throughput protein analysis techniques to find those that maintain or enhance protein composition quality traits during climate variability (heat, cold, drought, rain) and relate them to starch/dough quality. Based on 1000s of analyses from 100 lines in multiple environments, it will generate genomic-enhanced estimated breeding values for protein quality stability in response to different temperatures in wheat varieties that are being field tested for grain filling ability during temperature extremes.