Prospects for improving grain protein concentration in winter wheat through plant breeding

Non-Peer ReviewedLow protein concentration has been a degrading factor for "stubbled-in" winter wheat. Genes for improved protein concentration have been reported in several foreign cultivars. This paper outlines the results of plant breeding efforts to incorporate these genes into a Norstar or related background. The interactions of these genes with the environment were also studied in field experiments conducted over a three-year period in Saskatchewan. Response of grain yield and protein concentration to applied nitrogen was similar for each cultivar studied but the highest yielding genotypes tended to have the lowest protein concentration. Heritability estimates for grain yield, protein concentration and protein yield were fairly high (0.47 to 0.75) but very large environmental effects can severely limit the effectiveness of selection for these traits in winter wheat