Peer review

Durum wheat landraces from Iran and Mexico were evaluated for important grain traits, gluten quality characteristics and ultimate baking performance. It was also characterized by SDS-PAGE for high and low molecular weight glutenins composition. Substantial phenotypic variation was observed for most traits, with promisingly useful variability identified for attributes that typically limit durum wheat from being used in industrial bread-making processes, such as gluten extensibility and actual baking performance. Promising genotypes with atypically enhanced extensibility and/or baking performance, independently, from high protein content were identified and can be considered as valuable parental stocks to be exploited in durum breeding programs targeting the widening of the end-uses of this grain. A significant number of novel glutenins subunit and/or subunit combinations were described. The Iranian group was found to be more diverse than the Mexican group, which is consistent with their respective evolution histories: The Mexican Creoles wheats represents a small sample of the variability that was present in the Iberian Peninsula when they were moved to Mexico while the Iranian landraces evolved very close to the center of Origin of durum wheat, maintained most of the variability that was developed in the region from the early days of durum wheat evolution.

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