Sources of the highly expressed wheat bread making (wbm) gene in CIMMYT spring wheat germplasm and its effect on processing and bread-making quality

Bread-making quality is a core trait for wheat breeding programs. Recently, the expression of a novel gene named wheat bread making (wbm) gene has been associated with good bread-making quality. In this study, 54 historical and modern bread wheat genotypes from CIMMYT were screened by PCR marker for the presence of the allele associated with high wbm expression. Eight of the 54 wheat genotypes tested positive for the wbm allele and the genotype Waxwing was identified as the most likely donor of the allele in part of CIMMYT germplasm. The wbm allele had a significant effect on overall gluten quality, gluten strength, gluten extensibility and bread-making quality, although its effect was smaller than the effects of other quality related genes as Glu-D1, Glu-B1 or the negative effect of the 1BL.1RS translocation. The wbm allele was associated with higher values of the traits mentioned but not with higher protein content. The identification of this new wbm gene/protein is a step forward in understanding wheat quality genetic control. Implementation of marker assisted selection in breeding programs to detect the wbm allele is highly recommended.