Variations in yield and gluten proteins in durum wheat varieties under late‐season foliar versus soil application of nitrogen fertilizer in a northern Mediterranean environment

Abstract

Late-season foliar N fertilization allows N fertilizer saving, potentially providing environmental benefits in the rainy climate of the northern Mediterranean area, and also leads to variety-dependent up-regulation of essential LMW-GS and gliadins. Variety choice is a key factor in obtaining high technological quality, although it is currently associated with modest grain yield. This study provides evidence of high quality in the specific high-yielding variety Biensur, suggesting its potential as a mono-varietal semolina for pasta production. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Detection of Spatial and Temporal Variability of Wheat Cultivars by High-Resolution Vegetation Indices

“…Table 4 reports yield and yield components at harvest for the complete plot (W), as well as data of the two sub-areas, H O and H A with high yield and L O and L A with low yield. The yield data of both cultivars were in accordance with those reported by Visioli et al [41] in Italy. The crop yield of the whole plots was 5.73 t ha −1 for Odisseo (W O ) and 5.05 t ha −1 for Ariosto (W A ).…”

Effects of Seed-Applied Biofertilizers on Rhizosphere Biodiversity and Growth of Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Field

“…Gluten proteins were analyzed in 30-g seed samples (n = 3) gently milled by six pulses of 10 s each with a Knifetec 1095 (Foss, Hillerod, Denmark). Gliadins, high-molecular-weight glutenins (HMW-GS), and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LWM-GS) were sequentially extracted from 30-mg subsamples, according to Visioli et al (2018a) protocol. Relative quantification of HMW-GS, LMW-GS, and gliadins was performed spectrophotometrically by colorimetric Bradford assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) at the 595 nm wavelength, with three technical replicates for each sample.…”

“…Linear regression between absorbance and protein concentration was obtained through calibration with BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) standards, and the results expressed as mg g -1 of wheat flour. Proteins belonging to the three gluten fractions were also separated by SDS-PAGE and subjected to densitometric analyses to evaluate possible variations in the amounts of single protein subunits, and the results expressed as mg/g -1 of flour (Visioli et al, 2018a).…”

“…Accumulation of gluten proteins is a complex process involving spatial and temporal regulation. Environmental conditions, such as heat and drought stress, as well as the dose and application timing of nitrogen fertilizers can affect significant changes in gluten composition (Flagella et al, 2010;Visioli et al, 2018a). However, very little information is available on possible changes in gluten protein composition in response to biofertilizer application.…”

“…A novel finding in this study is the significant upregulation of certain LMW-GS and HMW-GS, the latter being polymeric proteins involved in dough strength and elasticity (Sissons, 2008). In particular, the 81 kDa HMW-GS is the Bx subunit codified by the locus Glu-B1 closely correlated with the technological quality of flour (Sissons, 2008), and the LMW-2 asset, in which the LMW-GS with the highest molecular weight (~44 kDa) is the most abundant subunit of this class (D' Ovidio and Masci, 2004) and is generally upregulated by N supply (Visioli et al, 2018a). Hence, the upregulation of both 81 kDa HMW-GS and 43.6 kDa LMW-GS with all the biofertilizers tested, particularly R-PK, may be attributed to the N-fixing and nutrient-solubilizing contribution of the applied microorganisms or the changes induced in the bacteria groups during grain filling.…”