COMPOSITION OF HIGH-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT GLUTENIN SUBUNITS IN SWEDISH WHEATS

The high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunit composition of Swedis h wheat cultivars and advanced breeding lines was determined by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl s ulphate. The HMW glutenin subunit composition was found to vary slight ly among the Swedish commercial cultivars. Only a few of the most rece ntly bred spring wheat cultivars were found to contain bands implying high gluten strength, such as 14 + 15 or 5 + 10. The most common bandi ng patterns were 2, 6 + 8 or 7 + 9, and 2 + 12. A more extensive vari ation prevailed among the breeding lines, although the most frequent p atterns of HMW subunits of glutenin remained the same as found in the cultivars. Increased variation in the breeding lines will provide bree ders with greater opportunities to incorporate new subunit combination s in bread wheats that would achieve the gluten strength requested by the milling and baking industries.