N Partitioning between Gluten Fractions in a Set of Italian Durum Wheat Cultivars: Role of the Grain N Content.

Grain protein content constitutes a key quality trait for durum wheat end-products and may also impact grain protein composition. A total of sixteen durum wheat cultivars were analyzed in a field trial during two seasons at two nitrogen (N) levels to evaluate whether and to what extent the variation in total grain N was associated with variation in the quantity of the various protein fractions and grain quality parameters. Genotypic variation in grain N content correlated with the variation in the content of all three protein fractions, although the strength of the correlation with gliadin and albumin-globulin was higher than that with glutenins. Genotypic variation in gliadin and glutenin content was more tightly correlated with the variation in the sulfur (S)-rich protein groups than with the S-poor protein groups and subunits. The variation in the percentage of unextractable polymeric proteins (UPP%) among genotypes was independent of their glutenin allelic composition. The significant genotypic differences in UPP% and in the ratios between protein groups and subunits were not influenced by the corresponding variation in grain N content. The final grain N content can only account for part of the variation in quality parameters and in the partitioning of total grain N between protein fractions since genotypic differences other than grain N content also contribute to these variations.