Effects of plant stimulants application on the baking quality of argentine bread wheat cultivars of different quality groups

Abstract

Analyzing the quality of bread wheat grains is of great importance due to the large number of products for human consumption made from wheat flour. In Argentina, wheat varieties are classified into three groups according to flour quality parameters. One of the most widely used practices to increase wheat yield and quality is nitrogen fertilization, although biological fertilizers began to be used a few years ago. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of potassium and manganese phosphites on bread wheat quality of bread wheat varieties belonging to different quality groups, and also on grain yield. For this, a field trial was carried out in 2018 in the experimental farm of the College of Agronomy of Azul, located in the center of the province of Buenos Aires. No differences were found in yield between the treatments fertilized with nitrogen (N) and the treatments with the application of N and phosphites, although both treatments resulted in higher yields than the treatment with no addition of N. The cultivars differed in protein percentage, gluten percentage, dough strength and extensibility, and gluten strength. These parameters also showed differences between the fertilization treatments. In addition, significant differences in some industrial quality parameters were also observed in the cultivar x fertilization treatment interaction, such as greater tenacity and gluten strength in treatments with phosphites application, resulting in an enhancement of these quality parameters in the flours obtained from certain cultivars.