DEPENDENCE OF WHEAT DOUGH EXTENSIBILITY ON FLOUR SULFUR AND NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS AND THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR-APPLIED SULFUR AND NITROGENFERTILIZERS

Three field experiments on winter wheat from 1986 to 1988 tested the e ffect of late-season foliar-applied sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) ferti lisers on baking quality. Only the experiment in 1988 produced grain w ith an S concentration and N:S ratio that could be classified as defic ient by the accepted thresholds. Grain or flour S concentration was in creased slightly in 1986 and 1988 by foliar-applied S. Dough resistanc e was reduced slightly by applied S in 1986, but this effect was depen dent on cultivar and whether foliar N was applied. There were no effec ts of the fertilisers on baking quality in 1987 or 1988. When data fro m all three experiments were combined and corrected for mean effects o f year and cultivar, multiple regression showed that dough extensibili ty increased with both increasing hour S and N concentrations. This is the first report in the U.K. that dough extensibility is limited by f lour S status of field-grown wheat, and these crops provide the earlie st evidence in the U.K. of a relationship between a measure of baking quality and S status of hour. (C) 1998 Academic Press.