PAU develops premium quality wheat variety

The wheat variety called ‘PBW1Chapati’ has been released at the state level in Punjab for cultivation under timely sown irrigated conditions

Researchers have developed a wheat variety, with excellent baking quality having soft and sweet chapatis. The wheat variety called ‘PBW1Chapati’ has been released at the state level in Punjab for cultivation under timely sown irrigated conditions.

The wheat breeding team from Punjab Agricultural University have developed a new variety using marker-assisted selection for a linked stripe rust and leaf rust gene Lr57/Yr40 in the PBW175 background. They have retained the chapati making parameters by testing the segregating materials using various biochemical tests during the development of the variety. 

The development of end product-specific and biofortified wheat germplasm was earlier on the breeding periphery and it got a great push from the Department of Science and Technology PURSE grant under the theme SWASTH BHARAT. It paved the way for consolidating the various gene pools for different traits to develop a viable commercial product with a focus on quality breeding. Thus, it enabled a shift from productivity-oriented technologies to those focused on nutritional enhancement along with yield. Wheat lines emerging out of convergent crosses and possessing a novel combination of high zinc, low phytates, high carotenoids, low polyphenols and high grain protein content have entered the varietal pipeline. 

Supported by the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence(PURSE) grant, the thermocycler machine was used to monitor the presence of a linked stripe rust and leaf rust-resistant gene — ‘Lr57/Yr40’ in the segregating generations and the final selected progenies. Equipment like rheometer (determine the flour viscosity) and doughLAB (determines water absorption of flour, dough development time and other dough mixing parameters) purchased under the PURSE funding helped carry out post-harvest quality analysis of the selected progenies.

The variety ‘PBW1Chapati’ aims to fill this void at the commercial level owing to good chapati quality, sweet in taste and soft in texture. The colour of the chapati is comparably white and it remains soft even after hours of baking.

The wheat variety called ‘PBW1Chapati’ has been released