Variation in High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits and Seed Chemical Contents in Ethiopian Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties

High molecular weight glutenin subunits largely determine bread making quality of wheat. A study was done from April to May, 2015, in the Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, using seventeen bread wheat varieties of Ethiopia in order to determine allelic composition of high molecular weight glutenin subunits, and seed chemical compositions. Ash content ranged from 2.24(variety Warrakatta/Pastor) to 3.44% (variety Mekelle-3), fat 2.73(variety Alidoro) to 3.57% (variety Hulluka), protein 14.00(variety Mekelle-3) to 16.75% (variety Tay), gluten 32.96(variety Mekelle-3) to 38.66% (variety Tay), starch 63.69(variety Tay) to 70.98% (variety Alidoro), and thousand seed weight 24.30 (variety Jefferson) to 35.77(g) (variety Hidase). The SDS-PAGE analysis gave three HMW glutenin subunits for Glu-A, five for Glu-B1 and two for Glu-D1 loci. Varieties ETBW5879, Worrakatta/Pastor, Hulluka, Mekelle-3, Kakaba, Danda´a, Alidoro, Pavon-76 and Jefferson exhibited subunits of 1 or 2*, 7+8 or 17+18, and 5+10 on Glu-A1, Glu-B1and Glu-D1 loci, respectively, and Glu-1 quality score of ten. Variety Tay gave subunits null, 6+8 and 2+12 on Glu-A1, Glu-B1and Glu-D1 loci, respectively, and Glu-1 quality score of four. The present study suggests that varieties combing 1 or 2*; 7+8 or 17+18, and 5*10 HMW glutenin subunits at Glu-A1, Glu-B1 and Glu-D1 locus, respectively, would be used to improve bread making quality of wheat in the future breeding programs