There’s an old saying in the business of wheat seed geneticists, “wheat that’s better bred makes better bread”. It turns out it could also make producers more money!
Members of a dedicated “Wheat Improvement Team” at Oklahoma State University have spent years researching how to develop higher-quality wheat varieties. Oklahoma State University wheat genetics chair Brett Carver shared with wheat producers at a recent Lahoma Field Day that his team has been breeding wheat varieties with exceptionally high gluten quality, excellent yield, and reliable disease resistance, all of which stand to put more money in the bank for growers.
Carver says these new lines were bred for the purpose of maximizing the strength of the gluten. To accomplish that the team used genetics that had never been utilized before with the hard red winter wheat class. The team crossbred “Gallagher” and a Colorado State University variety called “Snowmass” to create a new caliber of Gallagher named “OK15MASBx7 ARS 8-29”.
Taking a decade to develop, the 8-29 will serve as an ingredient in bread rather than as a stand-alone crop because its gluten is incredibly strong. The 8-29 variety has a strength equivalent to or better than hard red spring varieties from the northern U.S. and Canada, and it averages +2 bushels more per acre than Gallagher. I’m told it is also more resistant to stripe rust than Gallagher.
Interestingly, according to Carver, adoption of the 8-29 variety would change what goes on the ingredient label for bread because the vital wheat gluten that is being added to bread to bolster the strength which allows for the modern-day, high-speed processing, would now be naturally occurring in the 8-29 varieties. With the high cost of additives, it is hoped that getting away from the gluten input and relying on just the wheat itself could be a game-changer in the wheat industry and bring a premium to the producer.
Researchers are now evaluating just how much of the wheat gluten could be replaced in bread with the new 8-29. Additionally, there is hope that 8-29 could also replace dough conditioners that are added to bread, something that would have great value for the baking industry and the farmers who grow it as there would be added quality in those bushels that cannot be found in any other bushel of winter wheat.
From what I understand, OSU researchers have started experimenting with four other varieties of 8-29 that also have a Gallagher background in hopes of creating an even better yield while maintaining extraordinarily high quality. At the moment, OSU expects to release will the new Gallagher wheat varieties over the next two years. Producers who are looking to get involved with the program should contact the University. (Source: news.okstate.edu, journalrecord.com)
