Abstract
In southern Europe, the Mediterranean climate offers a unique opportunity for the production of high quality wheats, which are lacking in the European Economic Union. It is also responsible for the remarkable variability in both wheat yield and quality from year to year and from location to location. In this paper, the effects (in recent years) of the Mediterranean climate in Italy on grain yield and quality of bread and durum wheats are summarised with particular regard to high temperatures. Nitrogen fertilisation rate and timing were investigated in five cultivars grown at six sites. The impact of high temperature was evaluated in open field and pot experiments by imposing different temperature regimes during grain filling. Viscoelastic properties were evaluated with the Chopin alveograph for field experiments and with a Promylograph T3 apparatus for pot experiments. Protein composition was evaluated by SE-HPLC (size exclusion high performance liquid chromatrography). Agronomic trials indicated that high quality wheats can be obtained in a wide range of growing conditions. Viscoelastic properties were significantly affected by the temperature treatments. Short episodes of daily maximum temperatures above 35 °C caused a 'weakening' in both durum and bread wheat. High temperatures seemed to affect mainly the composition of the polymeric fraction (soluble/insoluble polymers) without influencing their synthesis.
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Corbellini, M., Mazza, L., Ciaffi, M. et al. Effect of heat shock during grain filling on protein composition and technological quality of wheats. Euphytica 100, 147–154 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018353300618
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018353300618