Non-GMO wheat quality traits

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Background Wheat quality is a complex term which depends upon the intentional use of the flour or the specific requirements of processors. The foremost determinants of wheat quality are endosperm texture (grain hardness), protein content and gluten strength. Endosperm texture in wheat is the single most important and defining quality characteristic, as it facilitates wheat classification and affects milling, baking and end‐use quality. More specifically, grain hardness helps to determine qualities such as milling yield, starch damage, water absorption, flour particle size as well as end‐product quality traits. The wheat puroindoline genes puroindoline a and b control grain hardness. When the puroindoline genes are present in functional form wheat is soft textured. When there is a mutation in either puroindoline a or b, the wheat is hard textured. All soft wheat varieties contain the same puroindoline alleles while the vast majority of all hard wheat varieties contain one of two different puroindoline mutations. Researchers at Montana State University have discovered a series of new puroindoline alleles via EMS mutagenesis that create defined levels of grain hardness and texture.