Varietal differences and effect of nitrogen fertilization on durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) grain yield and pasta making quality traits.

With the increasing number of food processing industries in Ethiopia, the demand for durum wheat grain is increasing. The objective of this experiment was to examine the productivity and pasta making quality traits of six released durum wheat varieties under different level of nitrogen fertilization. The experiments were conducted at four major wheat growing areas of northeastern Ethiopia. Data for grain yield and yield-related traits as well as pasta making quality traits were collected from plant and plot basis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) depicted significant variations among varieties for both agronomic and quality traits. Of the varieties evaluated, Waha excelled in pasta making quality traits with reasonable grain yield. Grain yield and quality traits were highly influenced by nitrogen fertilization, where application of nitrogen at the rate of 138 kg ha -1 improved both grain yield and quality traits. Based on the quality of grains produced, the four wheat growing locations were grouped into two major wheat production zones, Zone-I and Zone-II. Durum wheat grains produced from Zone-I (Kone and Geregera) was poor quality and could not be recommended for pasta production, while grains produced from Zone-II (Woreilu and Jamma) could satisfy the minimum acceptable pasta making quality characteristics, explaining the paramount importance of environmental variation for durum wheat grain quality. Hence, identifying superior varieties and suitable environments coupled with optimum level of nitrogen fertilization would improve durum wheat grain yield and pasta making qualities.