Optimizing the SDS sedimentation test for end-use quality selection in a soft white and club wheat breeding program

Soft white and club wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) market subclasses have specific end-use characteristics. Among the most important of these characteristics are weak dough mixing and handling properties as a result of weak gluten. The SDS sedimentation test has gained wide acceptance as a useful, small-scale test in bread wheat breeding programs to predict gluten strength and baking quality. To optimize its use for soft white or club wheat breeding, variations of the SDS sedimentation test were performed on grain from winter wheats grown at eight locations in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and the effects of lines, environment, and their interactions on SDS sedimentation volumes were determined. Using different sample weights and substituting whole meal for flour did not affect the ability of the SDS sedimentation test to differentiate among lines. Changes in protein concentration and sample weight caused proportional changes in SDS sedimentation volumes; however, the response was not consistent among all lines. Line had a greater effect on the SDS sedimentation volumes than any other source of variation. If differential effects of protein to SDS sedimentation among lines are taken into account, the SDS sedimentation test should be an effective small-scale test for end-use quality assessment in soft white and club wheat breeding programs.