Nitrogen uptake and remobilization in tetraploid 'Langdon' durum wheat and a recombinant substitution line with the high grain protein gene Gpc-B1

Tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) cv. ‘Langdon’ (LDN) and its near‐isogenic recombinant substitution line no. 68 (RSL no. 68) carrying the high grain protein gene Gpc‐B1 from emmer wheat, were compared in three greenhouse experiments to establish in which way Gpc‐B1 increases grain protein concentration (GPC). At anthesis, RSL no. 68 had higher soluble protein and amino acids concentrations in the flag leaf than LDN. At maturity, both lines presented a similar above ground biomass and grain yield. However, RSL no. 68 showed a higher total N content in ears, grain and chaff than LDN; N harvest index (NHI) was also higher because of a lower straw N concentration and higher grain N concentration. When both lines were grown with a low N supply, and when N supply was interrupted before anthesis, similar trends were observed but the differences in GPC were smaller. It is concluded that RSL no. 68 accumulates a higher GPC than LDN mainly because of a more efficient N remobilization from the leaves to the ears during grain filling.     

Nitrogen uptake and nitrogen harvest index in durum wheat cultivars varying in their grain protein concentration

Summary In a field experiment, plant (excluding roots) and grain nitrogen at harvest were estimated in 15 durum wheat cultivars varying in their grain protein concentration. They showed significant variation in grain yield, grain protein concentration, biological yield, total plant nitrogen at harvest and residual nitrogen in straw. Harvest index and nitrogen harvest index were calculated from this primary data. Nitrogen harvest index varied from 57 to 83%. Plant nitrogen showed significant positive correlation with biological yield, grain yield and grain protein yield, but the correlations with grain protein concentration, harvest index and nitrogen harvest index were not significant. Nitrogen harvest index was positively correlated with harvest index indicating that the distribution of N between straw and grain to a large extent, but not entirely, depends upon the partitioning of dry matter between the two. Grain protein concentration was neither correlated significantly to plant nitrogen nor to nitrogen harvest index.     

Genetic improvement of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Argentina: relationships between nitrogen and dry matter

Summary Changes in nitrogen (N) economy and N to dry matter (DM) relationships were studied for six cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) released in Argentina at different times between 1912 and 1980. Experiments were performed on two successive years.N partitioning to reproductive organs was changed both at anthesis and at maturity. Grain N yield (GNY) was associated to both total N accumulated and N partitioning. Most of the changes produced by genetic improvement on N economy at maturity could be explained by parallel changes at anthesis. Neither biological N yield (BNY) at anthesis nor BNY at maturity showed any trend with the year of release of the cultivars.Grain N concentration (GNC) showed a negative trend with the year of release, and was inversely correlated to both grain yield (GY) and harvest index (HI). However, GNC was positively and significantly associated with NHI to HI ratio, indicating that the main reason for its behaviour along this century was the dilution of N on non N compounds.The N utilization efficiencies (NUE) for both GY and grain number were positively affected by breeding. Moreover, modern Argentinian cultivars are as efficient as the best cultivars showed by other authors.It is suggested that to increase GNC together with GY, breeders should improve N accumulation at anthesis maintaining high remobilization of vegetative N.     

Simultaneous selection for early maturity, increased grain yield and elevated grain protein content in spring wheat

High grain yield and grain protein content, and early maturity are important traits in global bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)-breeding programmes. Improving these three traits simultaneously is difficult due to the negative association between grain yield and grain protein content and the positive association between maturity and grain yield. We investigated the genetic relationship between maturity, grain yield and grain protein content in a population of 130 early maturing spring wheat lines in a high latitude (52–53°N) wheat-growing region of Canada. Grain protein content exhibited negative genetic correlation with maturity (−0.87), grain fill duration (−0.78), grain fill rate (−0.49), grain yield (−0.93) and harvest index (−0.71). Grain yield exhibited positive genetic correlation with maturity (0.69), rate (0.78) and duration (0.49) of grain fill, and harvest index (0.55). Despite the positive association between maturity and grain yield, and negative association between grain yield and grain protein content, higher yielding lines with medium maturity and higher grain protein content were identified. Broad-sense heritabilities were low (<0.40) for rate and duration of grain fill, grain protein content, spike per m², grains per spike, harvest index and grain yield, and medium to high (>0.40) for grain weight, days to anthesis and maturity, and plant height. Selection for longer preanthesis and shorter grain fill periods may help circumvent the negative association between grain yield and grain protein content. Selection for shorter grain fill periods and higher grain fill rate may be a useful strategy for developing early maturing cultivars with acceptable grain yields in northern wheat-growing regions.     

Grain Protein Quality in Response to Changes in Pre-anthesis Duration in Wheats Released in 1940, 1964 and 1994

Grain protein content is one of the most important attributes in bread making quality. Several studies have reported that the type of, and the balances between, storage protein (i.e. gliadins and glutenins) are also relevant. Generally, the modern cultivars present less grain protein content than their predecessors, suggesting that breeding may have reduced baking quality while improving yield. Furthermore, there is little information on whether, and eventually how, breeding influences the types of protein synthesized in the grains, and the sensitivity of the type of protein and baking quality to changes in the environment. This study aimed to determine the stability in baking quality in wheat cultivars released at different eras to variation in the duration of the pre-anthesis period without changes in the sowing date. The experiment studied the combination of three cultivars released in 1940, 1964 and 1994 at two different durations from sowing to anthesis (because of exposure to different photoperiods during stem elongation in the field). Modern cultivars showed lower grain protein content than the oldest ones (11 vs. 14 %). There were no correlation between grain protein content and baking quality (assessed by Zeleny test), indicating that protein type is more important than grain protein content. Gliadins were more variable than glutenins because of differences between cultivars and flowering dates. Wheat breeding also seemed to have improved the stability of quality variables in response to environmental variation during the pre-anthesis period (when yield potential is being determined).     

Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate and Timing Effect on Bread Wheat Protein in Eastern Canada

Nitrogen management for production of bread quality wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) in eastern Canada has received little research attention. An experiment was conducted for 2 years at each of two sites in Québec to study the effect of level and timing of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application on grain protein concentration, protein content per seed, non-protein seed dry matter, grain protein yield and nitrogen harvest index (portion of plant N in the grain) of four hard red spring wheat cultivars known to have potential as bread wheats in eastern Canada. The soil types were Bearbroock clay (fine, mixed, non-acid, frigid, Humaquept) and Ste-Rosalie clay (typic, non-acid, frigid, Humaquept). The experiment was a 4 × 4 × 2 factorial. Four cultivars were used: Columbus, Katepwa, Max and Hege 155–85. In both years 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg Nha⁻¹ were applied either all at seeding or 60 % at seeding and 40 % at heading. Grain protein concentration and grain protein yield increased consistently with increasing N fertilizer and with split N application. Nitrogen harvest index was not increased by increasing applications of N fertilizer. Protein content per seed was more critical in determining grain protein concentration than non-protein seed dry matter content. The western Canadian cultivars Columbus and Katepwa generally had greater grain protein concentration than the European cultivars Max and Hege 155–85, With reasonable N fertility the grain protein concentration of spring wheats grown in eastern Canada are sufficient for bread production.     

Relationship between grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration in winter triticale

Summary Ten hexaploid winter triticale lines were grown for two cropping periods at three locations in western Switzerland. Averaged across the six environments, the differences between lines were statistically significant (P=0.05) for grain yield, above-ground biomass, N uptake, grain N yield, nitrogen harvest index, grain N concentration and straw N concentration. There were significant line x environment interactions for all traits. Grain yield and grain N concentration were inversely related (r=–0.74^**). Diagrams in which grain yields were plotted against grain N concentration were used to identify lines with a consistently unusual combination of grain yield and grain N concentration. Despite comparable grain yields, Line 3 had a high grain N concentration, while that of Line 7 was low. Line 3 was superior to Line 7 in both N uptake and N harvest index. Averaged across environments and lines, the N harvest index was 0.73 which corresponds to N harvest indices reported for bread wheat in the same region. We considered the feasibility of developing triticale lines which would outperform the best recent ones in N uptake and partitioning. However, we doubted that this would bring about a marked increase in grain N concentration, because, in the long run, the expected genetic progress in grain yield will lead to a dilution of grain protein by grain carbohydrate increments.Abbreviations GNC grain N concentration - GNY grain N yield - GY grain yield - HI above-ground dry matter harvest index - NHI nitrogen harvest index - SNC straw N concentration - TB total above-ground biomass - TPN total plant N     

春小麦品种氮的吸收积累和转运特征及与籽粒蛋白质的关系

春小麦个体发育的各个时期，不同器官全Ｎ含量均存在着差异，表现为叶片〉叶鞘〉茎杆。叶片、叶鞘、茎杆和籽粒Ｎ积累峰值依次出现有孕穗期、抽穗期、开花盛期和乳熟末期。开花前Ｎ素主要积累在叶片中，生育后期籽粒成为Ｎ素的主要贮存场所。籽粒Ｎ主要来自开花前营养器官贮存Ｎ的再分配，再分配Ｎ占籽粒Ｎ的５３．０％－８０．８％，各营养器官贮存Ｎ对籽粒Ｎ贡献的大小是叶片〉茎杆〉叶鞘。在籽粒灌浆过程中，籽粒Ｎ素含量的变化曲     

小麦籽粒蛋白质含量高光谱预测模型研究

为定量分析小麦籽粒蛋白质含量、叶片氮素营养指标、冠层高光谱参数的相互关系,确立能够准确预测小麦籽粒蛋白质含量的敏感光谱参数和定量模型,2003—2006年在连续3个生长季不同小麦品种和不同施氮水平的4个大田试验条件下,于小麦不同生育期采集田间冠层高光谱数据并测定植株氮素含量和籽粒蛋白质含量。试验1以低蛋白质含量的宁麦9号和高蛋白质含量的豫麦34为材料,试验2以低、中、高蛋白质含量的宁麦9号、扬麦12和豫麦34为材料,试验3以低蛋白质含量的宁麦9号、中蛋白质含量的扬麦10号和淮麦20以及高蛋白质含量的徐州26为材料,试验4以低蛋白质含量的宁麦9号和中蛋白质含量的扬麦10号为材料。结果显示,不同品种小麦的籽粒蛋白质含量随施氮水平的提高而增加,可以通过开花期叶片氮含量和氮积累量进行可靠的估测。而不同试验条件下的叶片氮含量和氮积累量可以基于统一的光谱参数进行定量反演,其中基于REPle和mND705的叶片氮含量监测模型及基于SDr/SDb和FD742的叶片氮积累量监测模型,具有可靠的预测性和适用性。根据特征光谱参数—叶片氮素营养—籽粒蛋白质含量这一技术路径,以叶片氮素营养为交接点将两部分模型链接,建立了基于开花期高光谱参数的小麦籽粒蛋白质含量预测模型,经独立资料检验表明,以参数mND705、REPle、SDr/SDb和FD742为变量建立成熟期籽粒蛋白质含量预报模型均给出较好的检验结果。因此,利用开花期关键特征光谱指数可以直接评价小麦成熟期籽粒蛋白质含量状况,其中基于mND705参数的预测模型更为准确可靠。     

春小麦籽粒灌浆过程淀粉和蛋白质积累规律的初步研究

利用蛋白质含量和产量各异的３个春小麦品种，Ｒｏｂｌｉｎ、东农７７４２和新克旱９号，研究了灌浆过程中可溶性性糖、淀粉和蛋白质积累规律，结果表明：籽粒灌浆过程中可溶性糖含量由开花１４天开始逐渐减少，成熟期达最低值，品种间的差异仅表现以１４天和２０天两个时期：淀粉积累动态与可溶性糖变化规律相反，随灌浆成熟而逐渐增加，品种间差异达显著水平；蛋白质积累动态年际间稍有差异，总的趋势是随灌浆成熟而逐渐增加，开花     

Effect of two-week heat stress during grain filling on stem reserves,senescence, and grain yield of European winter wheat cultivars

To examine the extent to which heat stress during grain filling impacts on the development and yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a 3-year field experiment was conducted on a loess soil with high water holding capacity in the North German Plain. Thirty-two mostly European winter wheat cultivars were exposed to heat stress in a mobile foil tunnel with maximum air temperatures of 45.7, 45.4, and 47.2°C in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. The 14-day post-anthesis heat stress treatment caused an average 57.3% grain yield reduction compared to a close-by non-stressed control. The proportion of green crop area after the heat stress phase varied from 7% to 98% in 2016 and from 37% to 94% in 2017. The green crop area percentage did not significantly correlate with grain yield, indicating that the delayed senescence of stay-green phenotypes offers no yield advantage under terminal heat stress. The water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration of the stems at crop maturity varied between 6 and 92 g/kg dry matter, showing that the genotypes differed in their efficiency at using the stem carbohydrate reserves for grain filling under heat stress. The stem WSC concentration correlated positively with the beginning of anthesis (r = 0.704; p < .001) but negatively with the grain yield (r = −0.431; p < .05). For heat tolerance breeding, the stem reserve strategy, i. e. the rapid and full exhaustion of the temporary carbohydrate storage therefore seems more promising than the stay-green strategy.     

Relationship among planted and harvested kernel weights and grain yield and protein percentage in winter wheat

Summary Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernel weight is an important yield component and seed quality factor that appears to be declining with recent cultivar releases in the major U.S. wheat region. The objectives of experiments were to detmrmine the relationship between planted and harvested 1000-kernel weights and their effect on grain yield and grain protein percentage. Twelve popular hard red winter wheat cultivars were grown with recommended practices at 10 Kansas locations for three years. Rank correlation coefficients between kernel weights and grain yields and protein percentages were calculated.Correlations of planted and harvested kernel weights over all cultivars with grain yield were inconsistent, being positive for some locations and years and negative for other locations and years. Planted kernel weights and grain yields of individual cultivars were not related, but harvested kernel weights and grain yields were correlated positively for eight of the 12 cultivars. Harvested kernel weights and grain protein percentages frequently were correlated positively at individual locations, but always were correlated negatively for individual cumtivars. It was concluded that high stable harvested wheat kernel weight is important as a component of grain yield under a range of environments and that improving this trait would benefit all segments of the wheat industry.Contribution No. 84-395-J, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506 USA.     

Effects of the Gpc‐B1 locus on high grain protein content introgressed into Argentinean wheat germplasm

Wheat grain protein content (GPC) is important for human nutrition and has a strong influence on the quality of pasta and bread. The objective of this study was to analyse the introduction of the Gpc‐B1 allele into two Argentinean bread wheat cultivars. Near‐isogenic lines were developed in ‘ProINTA Oasis’ and ‘ProINTA Granar’ using marker‐assisted selection. Gpc‐B1 lines showed a significant (P = 0.01) increase in GPC and a significant (P = 0.001) decrease in grain weight in comparison with control lines without Gpc‐B1. Differences in yield were not significant (P = 0.49) between lines. Gpc‐B1 lines significantly reduced (P = 0.02) straw nitrogen concentration at maturity and significantly increased (P = 0.02) the nitrogen harvest index. When data were analysed by genotype and environment, differences in some analysed parameters were found, indicating that Gpc‐B1 expression may be affected by different genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions. These results suggest that the introgression of the Gpc‐B1 allele into Argentinean wheat germplasm could be a valuable resource for improving GPC with no detrimental effect on grain yield.     

Are synthetic hexaploids a means of increasing grain element concentrations in wheat?

Element concentration in wheat grains is an important objective of plant breeding programs. For this purpose, synthetic hexaploid lines (Triticum durum ×Aegilops tauschii) have been identified as potential sources of high element concentration in grains. However, it is not known if these lines reach higher element concentrations in grains as the consequence of a dilution effect due to lower grain yield. In addition, most of the studies carried out with these lines did not evaluate above-ground element uptake. The objective of this study was to improve understanding of grain element concentrations as a function of grain yield, element uptake and biomass and element partitioning to grains in synthetic and conventional cultivars of wheat. One experiment with two standard sowing dates was carried out under field conditions. Biomass, grain yield, and macronutrient(Ca, Mg, K, P and S) and micronutrient (Cu,Fe, Mn and Zn) concentrations in grains and vegetative tissues were measured in two cultivars and one synthetic (chosen from ten lines). The synthetic showed higher element concentration in grains, e.g. between 25 and 30% for Fe, Mn and Zn across sowing dates, than cultivars while grain yield was similar or lower, depending on the sowing date. On the contrary, the synthetic showed lower concentration of Cain grains. This line showed also higher uptake of Fe, Mn, K and P than cultivars. The superior grain element concentration of the synthetic line was not only due to a dilution effect but also to a higher uptake efficiency. Therefore, synthetics would bea valuable source of germplasm for increasing element grain concentration, at least in this case for Fe, Mn, K and P. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Yield and grain protein concentration in bread wheat: how to use the negative relationship between the two characters to identify favourable genotypes?

A study of the relationship between grain yield (GY) and grain protein concentration (GPC) in bread wheat was carried out on a 11-year series of trials conducted by the Groupement d’Etude des Variétés Et Semences (GEVES) for the registration of new cultivars on the French National List. Values for GY and GPC came from 458 individual trials, grouped together in 21 series of bi-annual and multi-site data. The correlations between the two characters, calculated environment by environment, appeared highly variable due to high “genotype × environment” interactions for GY and GPC. The use of mean values, calculated on the 21 series of GEVES trials, enabled a better assessment of the relationship between the two characters, and an algorithm was proposed to avoid bias due to potential outliers. Using the well-assessed relationship obtained, grain protein deviations (GPDs) were defined as the standardized residuals of the regression of GPC on GY. These deviations appeared to have a partly genetic basis, as the lines with high deviations were about the same in the two independent datasets constituted by the two consecutive years of GEVES experiments. Some lines used as standards in GEVES trials obtained significant GPD for different series of bi-annual and multi-site trials, confirming the genetic origin of high-GPD. Simulations made to determine the minimum experimental design, showed that at least five sites per year for two consecutive years, were necessary to have a good assessment of the GY–GPC relationship, and hence reliable estimates of GPD.     

Heat Shock Protein in Developing Grains in Relation to Thermotolerance for Grain Growth in Wheat

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cvs DL 153-2 and HD 2285 (relatively tolerant), HD 2329 and WH 542 (relatively susceptible), were grown under normal (27 November) and late (28 December) sown conditions. In another experiment, these cultivars were grown under normal sowing and at anthesis stage, they were transferred to control (C) and heated (H) open top chambers (OTCs). Under late sowing, wheat cultivars were exposed to a mean maximum temperature of up to 3.6 °C higher than normal sowing and in H-OTCs, mean maximum temperature was 3.2 °C higher than C-OTCs during grain growth period. Heat susceptibility index (S) for grain growth and grain yield was determined at maturity in both the experiments. The level of heat shock protein (HSP 18) in the developing grains was determined in C- and H-OTC grown plants and in normal and late sown plants by Western blot analysis. The moderately high temperature exposure increased the accumulation of HSP 18 in the developing grains. The relatively tolerant cultivars, as also revealed from S , showed a greater increase in HSP 18 compared with susceptible types in response to moderate heat stress. An association of HSP 18 with thermotolerance for grain growth in wheat was indicated.     

Higher grain yield and higher grain protein deviation underline the potential of hybrid wheat for a sustainable agriculture

Grain yield and protein content are traits of major importance in wheat breeding, but their combination is challenging due to a tight negative correlation. Protein yield and grain protein deviation have been proposed as selection criteria to simultaneously improve both traits. Sedimentation volume is an indicator of protein quality, which plays an important role for bread‐making quality in wheat. All these traits have been investigated in our study with 135 parental inbred lines, their 1,604 hybrids and 10 commercial check varieties evaluated at five environments. The focus of our study was to investigate the usefulness of the grain protein deviation and to define a bivariate model for calculating the grain protein deviation. Further, we compared line and hybrid wheat for grain yield and quality‐related parameters such as protein content and sedimentation volume. The grain protein deviation determined with a bivariate model delivered robust estimates of variance components and enabled a balanced selection of genotypes with improved protein content and grain yield across different quality classes. Although heterosis for protein content and sedimentation volume was negative, hybrids had a higher grain protein deviation as well as higher grain yield at a given sedimentation volume or a given protein content than line varieties.     

Vegetative protein and its relation to grain protein in high and low grain protein winter wheats

Summary Better understanding of the physiological and genetic basis of wheat grain protein will contribute to breeding efforts for this characteristic. This study provides information about plant protein distribution in high and low grain protein winter wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) at different growth stages and its relation to grain protein. Field experiments involved two winter wheats with high grain protein, Redwin and Lancota, and two with low grain protein, Centurk and Brule in two years. Protein content in the head, the upper three leaves, the first and second leaf, and the peduncle were estimated with Near Infrared Reflectance Spectrophotometer (NIR) at five growth stages. High protein cultivars had higher leaf protein at ripe and higher protein content in the heads at most growth stages than low grain protein cultivars. High protein cultivars had lower protein content in the peduncle than low protein cultivars at ripe. Correlation coefficients between plant-part protein and grain protein ranged from 0.48 to 0.87 for the heads, from –0.45 to –0.79 for the peduncle, and from 0.55 to 0.84 for the leaves. A combination of head, peduncle, and first leaf protein at heading was significantly related to grain protein (R²=0.71). Indirect selection for head, peduncle, and first leaf (flag leaf) protein at heading should result in increased grain protein. Recurrent selection for increased grain protein, with parent selectionbefore anthesis and hybridization should be successful.     

Effects of High Temperature on Key Enzymes Involved in Starch and Protein Formation in Grains of Two Wheat Cultivars

High temperature is a major determinant of grain growth and yield formation in wheat. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of high temperature regimes on the activities of key regulatory enzymes involved in starch and protein accumulation in grains of two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Yangmai 9 and Xuzhou 26 with different protein contents. Four day/night temperature regimes of 34 °C/22 °C, 32 °C/24 °C, 26 °C/14 °C and 24 °C/16 °C were established after anthesis, resulting in two daily temperature levels of 28 °C and 20 °C and two diurnal temperature differences of 12 °C and 8 °C. The activities of glutamine synthase (GS) in flag leaves and glutamate pyruvic aminotransferase (GPT), sucrose synthase (SS), soluble starch synthase (SSS) and granule‐bound starch synthase (GBSS) in grains were measured during the periods of grain filling. High temperature reduced both content and yield of starch in grains, while enhanced protein content and reduced protein yield in grains. High temperature significantly enhanced the activities of SS and GBSS on 14 days after anthesis (DAA). High temperature affected SSS slightly in Yangmai 9, but reduced SSS activity markedly in Xuzhou 26 on 14 DAA. However, at the middle and late stages of grain filling, high temperature reduced the activities of SS, GBSS and SSS significantly in the two wheat cultivars. High temperature reduced GPT activity in grains in the two wheat cultivars, but reduced GS activity in flag leaves of Yangmai 9 and enhanced GS activity of Xuzhou 26 on 14 DAA. In addition, under the same high temperature level, SS activity was higher at 34 °C/22 °C, whereas the activities of SSS and GBSS were higher at 32 °C/24 °C. Also, diurnal temperature differences affected GPT and GS activities differently between the two cultivars. Under optimum temperature level, the activities of key enzymes for starch and protein synthesis were higher at 26 °C/14 °C. The activities of SS, SSS and GBSS significantly correlated with starch accumulation in grains, except for GBSS activity to starch content on 14 DAA. GPT activity was positively correlated with protein yield, and GS activity was negatively correlated with protein yield on 14 DAA, while the activities of both GPT and GS were negatively related to protein content in grains.     

Wheat grain yield and stability assessed through regional trials in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia

Improving the level and stability of grain yield is the primary objective of wheat breeding programs in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of South Asia. A regional wheat trial, the Eastern Gangetic Plains Yield Trial (EGPYT), was initiated by CIMMYT in collaboration with national wheat research programs in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India in 1999–2000 to identify wheat genotypes with high and stable grain yield, disease resistance, and superior agronomic traits for the EGP region. A set of 21 wheat experimental genotypes selected from a regional wheat screening nursery in South Asia, three improved widely grown cultivars (Kanchan, PBW343 and Bhrikuti), and one long-term cultivar (Sonalika) were tested at 9–11 sites in six wheat growing seasons (2000–2005) in the EGP. The 21 experimental genotypes were different in each year, whereas the four check cultivars were common. In each year, one or more of the experimental genotypes showed high and stable grain yield and acceptable maturity, plant height, and disease resistance compared to the check cultivars. Three improved cultivars have already been commercially released in the region through EGPYT and many germplasm lines have been used in the breeding programs as parents. Identification of wheat genotypes with high-grain yield in individual sites and high and stable yield across the EGP region underlines their value for regional wheat breeding programs attempting to improve grain yield and agronomic performance.