International Journal of Agronomy and Plant Production. Vol.

, 4 (10), 2460-2468, 2013

Available online at http:// www.ijappjournal.com
ISSN 2051-1914 ©2013 VictorQuest Publications

Varietal Differences and Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Durum Wheat

(Triticum turgidum var. durum) Grain Yield and Pasta Making Quality
Traits
1 2 3 4
Arega Gashaw , Wondimu Bayu , KebedeTeshome , Legesse Admassu

1- Sirinka Agricultural Research Center, P.O.Box 74, Woldia, Ethiopia.

2- International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), P.O.Box 528, Bahir-Dar,
Ethiopia.
3- Wollo University, P.O. Box 1145, Dessie, Ethiopia.
4- Addis Ababa.

*Corresponding Author: Arega Gashaw

Abstract

With the increasing number of food processing industries in Ethiopia, the demand for
durum wheat grain is increasing. The objective of this experiment was to examine the
productivity and pasta making quality traits of six released durum wheat varieties under
different level of nitrogen fertilization. The experiments were conducted at four major
wheat growing areas of northeastern Ethiopia. Data for grain yield and yield-related traits
as well as pasta making quality traits were collected from plant and plot basis. Analysis
of variance (ANOVA) depicted significant variations among varieties for both agronomic
and quality traits. Of the varieties evaluated, Waha excelled in pasta making quality traits
with reasonable grain yield. Grain yield and quality traits were highly influenced by
-1
nitrogen fertilization, where application of nitrogen at the rate of 138 kg ha improved
both grain yield and quality traits. Based on the quality of grains produced, the four
wheat growing locations were grouped into two major wheat production zones, Zone-I
and Zone-II. Durum wheat grains produced from Zone-I (Kone and Geregera) was poor
quality and could not be recommended for pasta production, while grains produced from
Zone-II (Woreilu and Jamma) could satisfy the minimum acceptable pasta making quality
characteristics, explaining the paramount importance of environmental variation for
durum wheat grain quality. Hence, identifying superior varieties and suitable
environments coupled with optimum level of nitrogen fertilization would improve durum
wheat grain yield and pasta making qualities.

Keywords: Durum, gluten, protein, quality, vitreousness.

Introduction

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidumvar. durum) is one of the most important food crops in the world,
cultivated on about 20 million hectares (Kahriziet al., 2010). Ethiopia is the largest wheat producer in sub-
Saharan Africa, producing about 2.9 million tons from a total of 1.5 million hectares. Of which, durum wheat
constitutes about 40% of the total wheat area (Badeboet al., 2009). Durum wheat is predominantly grown in
central, northwestern and northeastern parts of Ethiopia, ranging from 1800-2800 meter above sea level.
Durum wheat grain is used to prepare a variety of local food recipes (Badeboet al., 2009). Moreover, it is
mainly used to make semolina for macaroni, spaghetti and other pasta products. Ethiopia is endowed with
huge amounts of genetic variation for tetraploid wheat, and is recognized as the center of diversity for
tetraploid wheat. The presence of genetic variation is an opportunity and potential source for variety
development possessing desirable agronomic and quality traits (Badebo et al., 2009).
Several improved durum wheat varieties were developed and released for commercial production,
through intensive evaluation and selection of natural variants of landraces and segregantes of durum wheat
lines. However, varietal development was mainly focused on grain yield, disregarding grain quality traits.
Intl. J. Agron. Plant. Prod. Vol., 4 (10), 2460-2468, 2013

With the increasing number of processing industries, the demand for durum wheat grains for pasta
processing is growing-up in the country. Due to various reasons, locally produced durum wheat grains are
censured to be poor quality and do not meet the minimum quality standard of pasta production. Hence, in
spite of the large volume of local production, some processing industries opt to import durum wheat grain for
pasta production (Badeboet al., 2009). It is, therefore, imperative to improve durum wheat productivity and
grain quality so as to make durum wheat production rewarding to farmers, and to satisfy the demand of the
processing industries.
None of the recommended durum wheat varieties was evaluated for pasta making quality traits at
terminal moisture stressed environments of northeastern Ethiopia. This experiment was, therefore, designed
to evaluate the presence of genetic variation among durum what varieties for grain and pasta making quality
traits under terminal moisture stress environments of northeastern Ethiopia. Moreover, the effect of different
levels of nitrogen fertilization for grain yield and quality was examined.

Materials and Methods

On-farm experiments were conducted at Geregera, Kone, Jamma and Woreilu during 2005 and 2006
cropping seasons. Descriptions of the experimental sites are presented in Table 1 (Hawaryat et al., 2006).
Six durum wheat varieties (Laste, Boohai, Waha, Mosobo, Ilani and Malefia) were evaluated for grain
yield and pasta making quality traits.
To examine the effect of nitrogen fertilization on agronomic and grain quality, four nitrogen levels (0, 46,
-1
92 and 138 kg N ha ) were evaluated. The experiment was laid-out in randomized completely block design
(RCBD) replicated three times with factorial combinations of treatments (six durum wheat varieties with four
N fertilizer levels).
Nitrogen fertilizer in the form of Urea was applied in split, where half was applied at planting and the
2
remaining half at full tillering stage. A plot size of 9.6 m (eight rows, six meter length with a row spacing of
-1 -1
20 cm) was used. Data on plant height, kernel yield plant and number of kernels plant were recorded from
five randomly taken plants which were tagged before heading. Data on grain yield and biomass yield were
determined from the central six rows excluding the border rows. Harvest index was computed as the ratio of
grain yield to total aboveground biomass. Thousand kernels weight was determined by measuring the
weight of one thousand kernels.
Grain nitrogen content for each treatment was determined using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR)
technique. Hence, grain protein content was calculated by multiplying the total nitrogen content by 5.7 (FAO,
2003; UNV, 1980). Wet gluten content was determined following the method described by Leta et al. (2013).
Durum wheat kernel vitreousness was examined through visual inspection. Vitreous kernels are translucent,
while non-vitreous kernels are opaque, yellow and starchy. Vitreous kernels were calculated as the
percentage of vitreous kernels to the total sample examined (w/w). Hectoliter weight was measured using a
-1
portable hectoliter test weight measuring device and expressed in kg hl .

Table 1. Descriptions of the experimental sites

Site description Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Latitude Longitude 11 41’N 38 45’E 11 35’N 38 45’E 10 49’N 39 28’E 10 23’N 39 07’E
Altitude (masl) 2650 2800 2721 2622
Soil type Lithosol Lithosol Vertisol Vertisol
*
Rainfall (mm) 1104 1054 980 981
* Average of ten years (2002-2011)

Data analysis
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using RCB design was carried-out using Genstat software program
(GenStat® Discovery Edition 3) as per Gomez & Gomez (1984). Mean separation was carried-out using
least significant difference (LSD) at 5% probability level. Associations of agronomic and quality traits were
carried-out using Genstat software program (Genstat, 2007).

Results

Variation in Durum wheat Varieties for Grain yield and yield Related traits
Results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant (p<0.05) variations among the varieties
-
for all the agronomic traits, except for grain yield. Mean grain yield of varieties ranged from 2.5 to 2.7 ton ha
1
, where the highest grain yield was registered for Laste and Malefia (Table 2). Both varieties were released
for the terminal moisture stressed areas of northeastern Ethiopia. The lowest grain yield, however, was
obtained from Boohai, which is one of the oldest varieties released for high potential environments. The

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variation among the varieties for plant height was very high, ranging from 62.7 to 97.5 cm. Of the varieties
evaluated, Mosobo exhibited the highest plant height. Unlike Mosobo, Waha is categorized under semi-
dwarf, registering a plant height of 63 cm. Since, cereal straw is the predominant feed source of livestock in
northeastern Ethiopia; farmers usually prefer to grow tall wheat varieties for high straw yield. Plant height
being associated with above-ground biomass yield, it is considered as one of the selection criteria in wheat
variety development.
Moreover, kernel size is one of the most important selection criteria recognized by farmers, dealers and
milling and processing industries for high flour yield. Large kernelled wheat is associated with high flour
yield. This is because the proportion of endosperm to bran is significantly high in bold kernelled wheat,
resulting in high flour yield. Variation for kernel boldness was considerably high ranging from 41.5 to 49.5 g
at 12% moisture content. Ilani yielded the highest thousand kernels weight (TKW) followed by Laste (Table
2). Interestingly, all the varieties evaluated were bold-kernelled and fulfilled the minimum acceptable kernel
size (35 g at 14% moisture content ) to be certified for pasta processing (Abaye et al., 2009).
Of the varieties evaluated, Laste and I lani excelled in grain yield and kernel size. Therefore, Laste and I
lani could be utilized as elite parents for future durum wheat breeding program to develop highly productive
segregates possessing bold kernel size.

Table 2. Grain yield and yield related traits of six improved durum wheat varieties (pooled over nitrogen
fertilizer, locations and years).
Traits
Varieties GY BY KYP NK PH TKW HI
Laste 2.7 8.3 4.2 35.4 93.5 47.7 31.6
Boohai 2.5 8.3 4.0 34.7 92.3 45.9 30.2
Waha 2.6 7.5 3.5 33.5 62.7 41.5 36.4
Mosobo 2.6 7.5 4.3 36.6 97.5 46.9 32.4
Ilani 2.6 6.7 4.3 34.8 75.7 49.5 36.6
Malefia 2.7 6.8 3.8 39.3 72.6 42.3 37.0
Mean 2.6 7.5 4.0 35.7 82.4 45.6 34.0
LSD (5%) ns 1.0 0.4 1.8 2.3 1.3 2.4
CV (%) 18.7 21.2 19.5 17.6 9.6 9.8 25.0
GY = Grain yield, BY = Biomass yield, KYP =Kernel yield plant-1, NK = Number of kernels spike-1, PH = Plant height, TKW = Thousand
kernels weight, HI = Harvest index, LSD = Least Significant Difference and CV =Coefficient of variation

Effect of nitrogen fertilization on Grain yield and yield Related traits

Durum wheat grain quality is influenced by soil nitrogen status. In spite of its importance, the optimum
level of nitrogen fertilization for durum wheat production was not determined for the terminal moisture-
stressed areas of northeastern Ethiopia.
Results showed highly significant (p<0.01) variation among the nitrogen fertilizer rates for all the traits
-1 -1
studied. Grain yield, kernel yield plant , number of kernels plant , and thousand kernels weight increased
with an increase in nitrogen levels (Figure 1A-C). Maximum grain yield was correlated with the highest level
2
of nitrogen fertilization (R =0.959). Nitrogen fertilization at the rate of 138 kg ha-1 improved grain and
-1 -1
biomass yields, kernel yield plant , and number of kernels plant by 128, 84, 60 and 30%, respectively over
-1
the unfertilized treatment. Applying nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of 138 kg N ha was found biologically
optimum for durum wheat production in the terminal moisture-stressed environments of northeastern
Ethiopia.

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Fig 1. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on GY (A), BY and NK (B), and KYP and TKW (C). Error bars represent
SE

Effect of Environmental variation on Grain yield and yield Related traits

Both location and seasonal variations exhibited significant variation (p<0.001) for all the traits examined.
Maximum grain yield was obtained at Kone and Jamma testing sites (Table 3). Moreover, location by variety
-1 -1
(LxV) interaction showed highly significant (p<0.01) effect on kernel yield plant , number of kernels spike ,
plant height and thousand kernels weight, implying the presence of crossover effect of the varieties over
location variation. Similarly, the interaction between variety and year (VxY) for biomass yield, number of
-1
kernels spike and thousand kernels weight was highly significant (p<0.01), whereas it was insignificant for
the rest of the traits examined. The interactions between location by nitrogen fertilization (LxN) and season
by nitrogen fertilization (YxN) were significant for some traits (data not shown). Hence, identifying superior
genotypes, optimum nitrogen fertilization and suitable locations and their interactions would help to improve
durum wheat productivity in moisture-stressed areas of northeastern Ethiopia.

Table 3. Grain yield and yield related traits across locations (pooled over varieties and seasons).
Traits Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma Probability
-1
GY (ton ha ) 2.85 3.06 1.40 3.14 p<0.001
-1
BY (ton ha ) 7.73 7.56 5.24 9.53 p<0.001
KYP (g) 3.29 3.65 5.55 3.55 p<0.001
NK (no.) 38.41 40.35 28.89 35.16 p<0.001
PH (cm) 93.93 93.35 66.47 75.73 p<0.001
TKW (g) 46.45 48.71 44.32 43.02 p<0.001
HI (%) 38.05 40.76 26.94 30.40 p<0.001
-1 -1
GY = Grain yield, BY = Biomass yield, KYP =Kernel yield plant , NK = Number of kernels spike , PH =
Plant height and TKW = Thousand kernels weight.

Associations Betweed Grain yield and yield Related traits

Grain yield, being a quantitative trait, is influenced by environmental factors. Direct selection based on
the phenotypic expression of varieties on grain yield alone, more often than not, is unreliable. Hence, indirect
selection based on yield related traits is commonly used. Traits that have strong correlation with grain yield,
and that are highly heritable, easily observable and measurable traits could be used as indirect selection
criteria to improve quantitative traits, like grain yield.

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Results on the associations between grain yield and yield related traits showed that, grain yield had
-1 ** **
significant positive association with kernel yield plant (r= 0.99 ), biomass yield (r = 0.71 ), plant height (r =
* -1 * *
0.48 ), number of kernels spike (r = 0.45 ) and thousand kernels weight (r = 0.37 ), suggesting pleiotropic
effect of these traits with grain yield. Therefore, durum wheat breeders in moisture-stressed areas could
-1 -1
utilize kernel yield plant , biomass yield, plant height, number of kernels spike and thousand kernels weight
as possible indirect selection criteria.

Table 4. Associations among grain yield and yield-related traits in durum wheat
Traits GY BY KYP NK PH
**
BY 0.71 -
** **
KYP 0.99 0.71 -
* ns *
NK 0.45 0.29 0.46 -
* ns * *
PH 0.48 0.32 0.49 0.49 -
* ns * ns *
TKW 0.37 0.16 0.36 0.23 0.50
-1 -1
GY = Grain yield, BY = Biomass yield, KYP = Kernel yield plant , NK = Number of kernels spike , PH =
Plant height, TKW = Thousand kernels weight. ns, * and ** refer non-significant and significant differences at
5 and 1% probability level, respectively.

Durum wheat varietal Differences in pasta making quality traits

Grain quality is the most important aspect of selecting durum wheat grains for pasta processing. High
protein content, strong wet gluten, kernel vitreousness, high hectoliter weight and falling number are among
the basic pasta making quality traits for superior pasta products (Mohammedet al., 2012; Petrova, 2007).
Significant variations were observed among the durum wheat varieties for protein and wet gluten
contents, viterousness, hectoliter weight and falling number (Table 5). Mean grain protein content ranged
from 11.0 to11.9 %, where Waha consistently yielded the maximum mean protein content (Table 5). Grain
protein content (ranging from 12-16%) is optimum for pasta processing. Protein content less than 11% will
yield poor quality pasta while protein content greater than 16% might be associated with lower hectoliter
weight (Abayeet al., 2009; Petrova, 2007). Therefore, in terms of protein content, Waha, Ilani, Malefiaand
Boohai meet the minimum standard of protein content for pasta products.However, only Waha fulfilled the
minimum acceptable standard of Kaliti Foods Share Company (KFSC) for pasta processing. Considerable
variations were detected among durum wheat varieties for wet gluten (ranging from 29.5 to 32.6%), where
Waha meets the minimum KFSC’s standard for wet gluten (Table 5).
Durum wheat kernel vitreousness is an indicator of semolina quality (Xieet al., 2004). In the present
study, mean kernel vitreousness of the varieties ranged from 65.5 to 81.4%. Hence, only Wahafulfills the
minimum acceptable KFSC’s standard of kernel vitreousness (>80%) for pasta processing (Table 5).
Hectoliter weight (HLW) was measured to examine the plumpness of wheat grains. HLW is the most
widely used criteria in durum wheat grain quality breeding as it is positively correlated with semolina yield
(Petrova, 2007). Results showed the presence of significant genetic variation among the durum wheat
varieties for HLW (Table 5). All the varieties fulfill the minimum KFSC quality standard for HLW requirement
-1
(>75 kg hl ) (Abaye et al., 2009).
Durum wheat grain quality is also affected by pre-harvest sprouting. Pre-harvest sprouting is expressed
in falling number (FN). Results of the current study showed that all the varieties were within the acceptable
range (Table 5), indicating neither of the varieties was severely affected by pre-harvest sprouting problem.

Table 5. Quality parameters of six improved durum wheat varieties (pooled over nitrogen fertilizer rates,
locations and years).
Varieties PC WG VT HLW FN
-1
(%) (%) (%) (kg hl ) (sec)
Laste 11.0 30.8 65.5 84.3 317.5
Boohai 11.3 32.9 77.7 83.8 309.0
Waha 11.9 34.1 81.4 85.5 314.8
Mosobo 11.0 32.0 70.7 83.6 310.6
Ilani 11.3 32.7 75.9 79.6 317.9
Malefia 11.3 32.0 66.1 85.6 311.0
Mean 11.4 32.4 72.9 83.7 313.5
LSD (5%) 0.5 0.8 3.7 1.2 6.7
CV (%) 15.1 7.6 16.6 4.5 7.0
Prob. value 0.018 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.029
KFSC standard >11.5 >33 >80 >78 >300
PC = Protein content (%), WG = Wet gluten (%), VT = Viterousness(%), HLW =Hectoliter weight, FN = Falling
number, Prob = Probability, andKFSC = Kalitifoosd share company quality control and research service

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Effect of nitrogen fertilization on pasta making quality traits

Kernel quality is influenced by genotypic and environmental variations. Soil nitrogen status determines
grain protein content (Mohammedet al., 2012). Results on the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on the pasta making
quality of durum wheat showed the presence of highly significant (p<0.001) variations among the nitrogen
fertilizer levels for all the quality traits considered (data not shown). Kernel vitreousness and wet gluten
2
content showed linear increase in response to nitrogen fertilization (R =0.7854 and 0.4012, respectively)
(Figure 2A), whereas the effect of nitrogen fertilization on protein content was not strong enough
2
(R =0.2524) (Figure 2B). On the other hand, falling number showed a sharp decline with an increase in
2 -1
nitrogen fertilization (R =0.9698) (Figure 2C). Nitrogen fertilization (at the rate of 138 kg N ha ) improved
vitreousness, wet gluten and protein content by 21.7, 5.2 and 4.9%, respectively over the unfertilized
treatment.

Fig 2. Effect of nitrogen fertilizer on pasta making quality traits; wet gluten and vitreousness (A), protein
content (B) and falling number (C)

Associations of pasta making quality traits

**
Protein content exhibited strong positive correlations (p<0.01) with wet gluten content (r=0.90 ) and
*
kernel vitreousness (r=0.73 ). Similarly, there was strong positive relationship between wet gluten content
**
and kernel vitreousness (r=0.92 ), exhibiting pleiotropic effect among these traits. Thus, simultaneous
selection for protein, and wet gluten content and kernel vitreousness could be possible.

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Table 6. Association among durum wheat pasta making quality traits

Traits PC WG VT HLW
**
WG 0.90 -
* **
VT 0.73 0.92 -
ns ns ns
HLW 0.21 -0.01 -0.20 -
ns ns ns ns
FN 0.07 -0.14 -0.03 -0.43

PC = Protein content, WG = Wet gluten, VT = Vitreousness, HLW =Hectoliter weight and FN = Falling
number, ns=p≥5%, *=p<5% and **=p<1%.

Clustering of durum wheat Growing Environments for Superrior Pasta making quality
The performance of many quality traits depends greatly on genotypic and environmental variations
(Mohammedet al., 2012; Rharrabti et al., 2003). Thus, understanding the potential and constraints of each
production environment might help in improving the productivity and quality of grain products. Both genotypic
and environmental variations significantly affected protein and wet gluten content (Table 7). Grain protein
content of varieties at Geregera and Kone was generally below the minimum acceptable level, while it was
higher and within the ranges of the standard requirement at Woreilu and Jamma, indicating the influence of
location on grain protein contents. Wet gluten content also showed similar trend across locations. Higher wet
gluten contents were recorded at Woreilu and Jamma. This is because, grain protein content is directly
associated with gluten content. Hence, environments which tend to provide high grain protein content also
tends to yield high wet gluten content.

Table 7. Protein and wet gluten contents of durum wheat varieties at four different locations (combined over
years and nitrogen fertilizer)
Protein content (%) Wet gluten content (%)
Varieties Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma
Laste 10.1 10.1 12.2 12.1 30.7 30.3 30.7 31.3
Boohai 10.3 10.8 12.3 12.2 32.6 32.6 32.5 33.7
Waha 10.5 11.3 13.9 12.7 33.3 32.8 35.4 35.5
Mosobo 10.3 10.2 13.0 11.6 31.7 31.1 33.7 32.2
Ilani 10.7 10.9 12.3 11.8 32.2 32.7 32.5 33.2
Malefia 9.7 10.2 15.0 12.3 30.9 31.3 33.3 33.1
Mean 10.3 10.6 13.1 12.1 31.9 31.8 33.0 33.2

Similar to protein and wet gluten contents, kernel vitreousness and hectoliter weight varied across
locations (Table 8). Grains produced at Geregera and Kone testing sites were poor in kernel vitreousness.
None of the varieties fulfills the minimum standard of kernel vitreousness. At Woreilu and Jamma,
varieties exhibited higher kernel vitreousness, indicating environmental suitability for durum wheat
production. BoohaiandWahaconsistently yielded higher kernel vitreousness at both Woreilu and Jamma
testing sites (Table 8). Similarly, hectoliter weight was significantly varied across locations, where higher
hectoliter weight was recorded at Woreilu. Hence, it is possible to conclude that Woreilu and Jamma are
favorable environments for durum wheat production for superior pasta making quality.
Based on the quality of durum wheat grains produced, durum wheat producing areas of northeastern
Ethiopia could be grouped into two major zones. Zone-I comprises Geregera, Kone and similar areas.
Durum wheat grains produced from these areas were poor quality for pasta processing. Therefore,
grains produced from Zone-I should be utilized for local consumption. On the other hand, Woreilu and are
grouped into zone-II, which is mainly characterized with vertisols and relatively wet climate. Durum wheat
grains produced from Woreilu and Jamma were good quality for pasta products.

Table 8. Kernel viterousness and hectoliter weight of durum wheat varieties at four different locations
(combined over years and nitrogen fertilizer)
-1
Vitreousness (%) Hectoliter weight (kg hl )
Varieties Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma Geregera Kone Woreilu Jamma
Laste 63.6 54.8 74.9 73.5 83.9 84.3 86.8 83.7
Boohai 77.4 71.6 83.9 81.1 84.3 84.5 86.0 81.5
Waha 73.5 74.8 95.5 89.0 85.0 85.8 88.8 84.0
Mosobo 66.2 61.1 87.4 76.4 83.9 83.8 85.7 82.1
Ilani 77.1 74.6 78.3 74.7 82.2 83.3 86.2 70.1
Malefia 61.5 56.5 82.4 72.3 84.7 86.4 87.7 84.7
Mean 69.9 65.6 83.7 77.8 84.0 84.7 86.9 81.0

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Discussion

Genetic variation and Effect of nitrogen fertilization on durum wheat Grain yield and yield Related
traits
Durum wheat grain is mainly used to make semolina for macaroni, spaghetti and other pasta products.
The quality of end-products is strongly correlated with the quality of durum wheat grain, which is mainly
influenced by genotype and environment (Troccoliet., 2000). The demand for quality durum wheat grain for
pasta processing is increasing in Ethiopia due to the flourishing of several pasta processing plants. It is
therefore, imperative to develop durum wheat varieties fulfilling the quality standard of pasta processing
plants.
Genotypes exhibited significant variation for all the agronomic traits studied, except for grain yield. The
presence of genetic variation is an opportunity for durum wheat improvement. The present research result is
in agreement with previous reports (Badeboet al., 2009; Belayet al., 1993; Gashaw et al., 2010). Nitrogen
fertilization exhibited significant effect on grain yield. Grain yield was improved by 66, 94 and 127% at 46, 92
-1
and 138 kg ha N, respectively over the control. Moreover, nitrogen fertilization improved yield related traits:
-1 -1
kernel yield plant , number of kernels spike , thousand kernels weight and harvest index, which resulted in
high grain yield.
-1
Grain yield exhibited strong positive correlation with kernel yield plant , thousand kernels weight,
-1
biomass yield, plant height and number of kernels spike , which is in agreement with previous reports
(Gashaw et al., 2010; Kashtaet al., 2011). Easily measurable, highly heritable and strongly correlated traits
could be used as indirect selection criteria to improve polygenic traits, like grain yield. Hence, durum wheat
-1
breeders in terminal moisture-stress areas could use kernel yield plant , thousand kernels weight, biomass
-1
yield, plant height and number of kernels spike as indirect selection criteria for durum wheat improvement.
In harmony with the present result, (Siahbidi et al., 2013) reported strong positive correlations between
-1 -
grain yield and the three primary grain yield components (number of grains spike , number of spikelet spike
1
and thousand kernels weight).

Varietal Differences and Effect of nitrogen fertilizer on Durum wheat pasta making quality traits
Varietal differences were observed in protein and wet gluten contents, kernel vitreousness, hectoliter
weight and falling number. Of the varieties, Waha was found superior for all the quality traits considered.
Pasta-making quality traits were affected by environmental variation. Hence, environmental clustering
would help to target potential locations that are suitable for durum wheat production for acceptable quality
traits.
Based on the quality of durum grains produced, durum wheat producing areas of northeastern Ethiopia
are grouped into two major production zones; zone-I and zone-II. Durum wheat grains produced from zone-I
(Geregera, Kone and similar areas) were inferior in pasta-making quality traits. Though the grains produced
from Geregera and Kone could be used for local consumption to prepare several local dishes, farmers at
these locations are advised to shift to bread wheat production. This is because; bread wheat is more
productive than durum wheat and hence, farmers could benefit from the productivity of bread wheat. On the
other hand, durum wheat produced from zone-II (Woreilu, Jamma and similar areas) consistently exhibited
better grain quality for pasta processing.
Nitrogen fertilization improved kernel vitreousness and wet gluten content while its response to protein
content was inconsistent. On the other hand, nitrogen fertilization caused a sharp decline on falling number.
Falling number is the measure of pre-harvest sprout damage of grains. Enzymatic activity of sprouted
grains is higher, which is an indicator of poor grains. Nitrogen fertilization delayed maturity time (Goodinget
al., 1986) and increases grain drying rate (Kettlewell, 1999), which causes pre-harvest sprouting. Hence, the
decline of falling number in response to nitrogen fertilization might be associated with its effect on delaying
grain maturation. In accordance with the present result, Leta et al. (2013) reported the influence of nitrogen
fertilization on grain quality.
Due to its grain quality for pasta production, Wahais recommended for commercial production at
Woreilu, Jamma and similar environments. Moreover, variety Waha could be used as elite parent for future
durum wheat grain quality improvement. Therefore, to produce acceptable quality pasta products that able to
meet consumers’ demand; researchers, extension workers, traders, millers and pasta processors should
encourage farmers’ to produce physically clean and genetically pure durum wheat grains at suitable
environments with recommended nitrogen fertilization.

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