Effect of Waxy Wheat Flour Blends on the Quality of Fresh and Stale Bread

Starch is the major component in the wheat kernel, which is mainly composed of amylose and amylopectin. The wheat without amylose in its endosperm was called ＂waxy wheat＂. Waxy wheat can be used to adjust the amylose content and improve the wheat-based food quality by adding to non-waxy wheat flour. In order to investigate the effect of waxy wheat flour on the quality of fresh and stale bread, waxy wheat flour was added into the flour of Canadian Spring Wheat 2 at 0.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0, 30.0, and 35.0% to make breads. The physicochemical properties were adjusted to suitability by adding Yangmai 158 flour, and breads were evaluated for sensory quality, crumb firmness, loaf volume and weight loss over a period of 0, 2, 4, and 6 days. The result showed that the best total score of fresh bread was 82.9 by adding waxy flour at 7.0%, though no significant difference was found among blends with 0.0-15.0% of waxy flour. Breads with the addition of 22.0% waxy flour had lower firmness, and decreasing loss of weight. Waxy wheat flour blend at 15.0% was optimal in retarding staling without significant decreasing fresh bread quality in comparison to the control.     

Analysis of Genetic Similarity for Improved Japonica Rice Varieties from Different Provinces and Cities in China

To provide a genetic basis for japonica rice breeding, the genetic similarity and cluster of 139 accessions of improved japonica rice varieties from 12 provinces and cities of China were analyzed using 34 SSR markers. Totally 198 alleles were detected among these improved japonica rice varieties with the average number of alleles per pair of primers was 5.3235. RM320, RM531, RM1, RM286, and RM336 showed more alleles, which were 15, 12, 11, 9, and 9, respectively. RM320, RM336, RM286 and RM531 showed higher genetic diversity indexes; which were 2.3324, 2.0292, 1.8996, and 1.7820, respectively. The range of genetic similar index among improved japonica rice varieties from different provinces was from 0.321 to 0.914, with the average of 0.686. There was a high genetic similarity among improved japonica rice varieties from Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, and Yunnan, which were located in similar latitude or similar ecological environment, while there was a low genetic similarity between improved japonica rice varieties from Guizhou and Jiangsu, and other provinces which were located in more different latitudes and ecological environments. The markers of RM320, RM531, RM1, RM286, and RM336 fit to be used in analysis of genetic diversity for improved japonica rice variety. The genetic similarity among improved japonica rice varieties from different provinces was closely associated with genetic basis of parents, and was also correlated with latitude and ecological environment where the varieties were bred.     

Assessment of wheat variety distinctness using SSR markers

Assessment of variety distinctness is important for both the registration and the protection of particular variety. However, the current testing system, which assesses a range of morphological characters of each pair of varieties grown side-by-side, is time-consuming and is not suitable for the assessment of hundreds of samples. The objective of this study was to develop a procedure for the assessment of wheat variety distinctness using simple sequence repeat(SSR) markers. A comparison between the molecular and morphological profile of 797 varieties was made. On the basis of the comparison, pairs of varieties with a genetic similarity value(GSV) ≤90% were deemed to be distinct, accounting for ~85% of varieties assessed in wheat regional trials. For the remaining ~15% of varieties, GSVs between different varieties were 90%, among which ~35% were not distinct and the other ~65% were distinct. Therefore, if given a GSV90%, the pairs of varieties should be morphologically assessed in the field. To avoid any errors in the assessments, we proposed the elimination of contaminant plants from the sample before comparing the varietal genotypes, scoring of the genotype at each locus with a pair of allele numbers when constructing a molecular profile, and faithfully recording two alleles at a non-homozygous locus. To reduce the workload and cost, a three-grade markers comparison among varieties is suggested. In addition, 80 SSR markers and a technical procedure for assessment of wheat variety distinctness have been proposed. Based on the procedure, the distinctness assessment of ~85% of all wheat varieties is completed in our laboratory annually. Consequently, total field assessment has been reduced considerably.     

Effect of Storage Temperature on Sensory and Physicochemical Properties of Wheat Flour Fortified with Elevated Levels of Vitamin A in Combination with Three Types of Iron

Many persons worldwide are deficient in micronutrients, two of the most common being vitamin A and iron. Fortification of staple food is a commonly used and effective method of boosting micronutrient intake. Wheat flour is widely used around the world and makes a good vehicle for fortification, but there is a lack of studies on the storage stability of fortified wheat flour. In this study, we fortified wheat flour with elevated levels of vitamin A and three sources of iron and stored it for up to 16 weeks at refrigerated or room temperature or elevated temperature. The rate of disappearance of vitamin A was monitored by high pressure liquid chromatography, and the rate of disappearance was fotmd to be directly proportional to the duration of storage and storage temperature. Higher temperatures contributed to greater loss of vitamin A. Iron, regardless of source, did not play a major role in contributing to the rate of vitamin A loss. Flour functionality was assessed by baking loaves of bread from the stored flour and assessing physical properties as well as subjecting the loaves to an expert sensory panel. Functionality also changed with time and temperature of storage, but sensory analysis found that these changes were not detrimental to the quality of bread baked from the stored flours. Trained sensory panelists found that breads baked from flours fortified with ferrous sulfate and stored at the three temperatures for times up to eight weeks were markedly different from fortified flours using hydrogen reduced irons.     

Comparative Analysis of Six Triticum turgidum L. Subspecies for Acid and Aluminum Tolerance

The aluminum （A1） tolerance of hexaploid wheat and rye has been extensively studied. However, the A1 tolerance of tetraploid wheat （Triticum turgidum L.）, the AABB genome donor of hexaploid wheat, has not been well characterized. To understand the A1 tolerance of tetraploid wheat and identify potentially new sources of tolerance to acidic soils, 254 Triticum turgidum wheat lines, including six subspecies of T. turdigum ssp. dieoccoides, ssp. dicoccon, ssp. carthlicum, ssp. turgidum, ssp. durum, and ssp. polinicum, were screened for acid and A1 tolerance by measuring the root regenerate lengths and the tolerance indices in acid nutrient culture solution containing A1. Significant differences were observed either among or within tetraploid wheat subspecies on the RRL （root regenerate lengths）. The orders for average RRL among subspecies in pH 7.00, pH 4.50 and pH 4.50 ＋ 50μmol L^-1 A1^3＋ were carthlicum ≥ turgidum ≥ durum ≥ dicoccoides polinicum ≥ dicoccon, carthlicum ≥ turgidum ≥ durum ≥ polinicum ≥ dicoccon ≥ dicoccoides and durum ≥ dicoccoides carthlicum ≥ turgidum ≥polinicum ≥ dicoccon, respectively. Significant difference was also observed on the root acid tolerance index （RT11） and root A1 tolerance index （RTI2） either among or within tetraploid wheat subspecies. Compared to RTI2, RTI1 varied in a wide range but with large value. The orders of the average RTI1 and RTI2 among subspecies were polinicum ≥ dicoccon ≥ carthlicum ≥ dicoccoides ≥ turgidum ≥durum, and dicoccoides ≥ durum ≥ turgidum ≥polinicum carthlicum ≥dicoccon, respectively. Significant difference on acid and A1 tolerance was existed either among or within subspecies. Some potentially tolerance germplasms different from those derived from hexaploid wheat, including 42 acid tolerance and 41 A1 tolerance lines, were identified in 254 tetraploid wheat lines. They provide new sources for hexaploid wheat acid and A1 tolerance improvement.     

Efficient Plant Regeneration with Arabinogalactan-Proteins on Various Ploidy Levels of Cereals

To determine the most effective dose of arabinogalactan-protein (AGP) in regeneration medium, mature embryos of genotypes in three different ploidy levels (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Ikizce-96, Triticum durum Desf. cv. Mirzabey and Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Tokak) were used to establish an efficient plant regeneration system for cereals. Percentage of callus production, capacity of regeneration were calculated, and also culture effect, root, stem, and total plant length of regenerant plants were observed in six different regeneration media (MS control, MS+2, 5, 7, 10, 12 mg L-1 AGP) in these three different genotypes. According to the results, the highest amount of callus production was found in Ikizce-96 as 93.75% using 5 mg L-1 dicamba and 1 mg L-1 kinetin in induction medium. However, the most improved callus was observed in diploid barley Tokak as 179.95 mg in weight and 6.18 mm in diameter, respectively. The highest regeneration capacity was observed in the dose of 5 mg L-1 AGP in MS of all the genotypes and hexaploid wheat Ikizce-96 gave the best results with the highest regeneration capacity and culture effects (94.86 and 92.5%) in the same dose of AGP. These results indicated that effective dose of AGP in regeneration medium increase plant regeneration in calli derived from cereal mature embryos.     

Haplll of TaSAP1-A1, a Positively Selected Haplotype in Wheat Breeding

Stress-associated protein （SAP） has functions in maintaining plant cell elongation, embryo development and response to abiotic stresses. TaSAP1-A1, one of the Triticum aestivum SAP1 （TaSAP1） members located on wheat chromosome 7A was isolated for polymorphism analysis. HaplII of TaSAP1-A1 was found significantly associated with thousand-grain weight （TGW） in multiple environments. In this study, HaplII also made a positive contribution to TGW in Population 2. The distribution of TaSAP1-A1 HapIII was tracked among varieties released in different years and geographical environments of China. The frequency of HapIII showed an increasing trend during the breeding process in two different populations. The ItapIII was gradually selected and applied from 6.36% in landraces to 13.50% in modem varieties. These results exhibited that TaSAP1-A1 HapIII was positively selected during wheat breeding, which is beneficial for grain-yield improvement. The preferred HapIIl was initially selected and applied in the higher latitude areas of China in accord with the long day season and longer grain filling stage in these areas. Moreover, the frequency of HaplII in recent modem varieties was still quite low （19.29-26.67%）. It indicated a high application potential of TaSAP1-A 1 HapIII for improving grain yield in wheat breeding.     

The Variation and Stability Analysis of Wheat Dough Stability Time

Farinograph dough stability time is an important index for classifying wheat, and it often indicates the most appropriate end use for the wheat cultivars. This study aimed at the problem of large fluctuations in dough stability time that occurs during the commercial wheat production. The variations in the dough stability time and its consistency across locations and years were analyzed using 12 principal high-quality wheat cultivars （varieties） obtained from Shandong Province, China, which were grown at nine different locations for three successive years. The results showed that the coefficient of variation for the dough stability time ranged from 24.29 to 49.60% across different varieties, locations, and years. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction （AMMI） analysis indicated that there were significant interactions for the dough stability time between the varieties, the growth locations, and the years. The genotype effect was the most noticeable, followed by the interaction of the genotype and the environment. The environmental effect was the least significant. The interactions between the varieties and the locations differ considerably, however, each cultivar （variety） apparently has a specific adaptability to the growth location. Therefore, for the successful commercial scale production of the high-quality wheat varieties, both the selection of proper cultivars and its most suitable growth locations to meet the desired requirements for the dough mixing stability time are important.     

Molecular Characterization of a Triticum durum-Haynaldia villosa Amphiploid and Its Derivatives for Resistance to Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici

Take-all is a serious disease found in wheat across the world. Haynaldia villosa is considered to be resistant to take-all at a high level. TH3 was an amphiploid （2n =42, AABBVV） between Triticum durum and Haynaldia viUosa with significant resistance to take-all fungus isolated from China. In greenhouse experiment, the derivatives of the hybrid between wheat and TH3 showed better resistance to take-all than that of the wheat control. One of the derivatives named HW918-5 was selected for further analysis. Cytological and genomic in situ hybridization （GISH） analysis indicated that a monotelosome originated from H. villosa existed in the genome of the offspring of the line HW918-5. The monotelosome with promising resistant gene for take-all was located on the 3V chromosome of H. villosa in the further PCR-based molecular analysis.     

Amylose contents of cereals; influence of household processing on the amylose contents of these foods

Amylose is a food starch found in cereals, legumes and root vegetables. Keeping in view the importance of amylose for various food industries as well as its importance on domestic level, the current study was conducted to analyze the amylose content of common cereals e. g rice （sela, coarse and basmati）, maize yellow, Kisan and Azam varieties and wheat （Tatara, Fakhr-e-sarhad and Bakhtawar-92） varieties as well as quantifying the influence of cooking/boiling procedures on the amylose contents of cereals. The maximum amylose content were observed for wheat variety Tatara （24.28%） followed by Bakhtawar-92 （22.74%） and Fakhr-e-sarhad （19.77%）. Among maize and rice varieties studied, Kisan and course rice were rich in amylose content with values of 27.19 and 30.48% respectively. The chapti of Tatra wheat were scored highest for appearance （7.6）, flavor （7.5）, texture （7.6） and overall acceptability （7.55）. The roti of Kisan and Azam varieties got maximum appearance score of 7.6 as compared to 7.4 for maize yellow variety. Basmati rice was scored highest regarding appearance （8.4）, flavor （8.6）, texture （8.6） and overall acceptability （8.53. The moisture content ranged from 10.61 （Azam） to 8.01% （wheat variety Fakhr-e-sarhad）. Cooking reduced the amylose content of wheat bread from （19.77%-24.28%） to （15.47%-15.94%） with cooking time of 5 min, maize bread from （21.48%-27.19%） to （19.53 %-25.85%） with maximum cooking time of 10 min and boiled rice from （24.90%-30.48%） to （24.18%-30.19%） with cooking time ranging from 12 to 20 min. It can be inferred from these studies that the reduction in amylose content were more in chapti/roti preparation of wheat and maize varieties as compared to boiling of rice varieties and that significant varietals differences exist in amylose content of the uncooked samples.     

Evolution of varieties and development of production technology in Egypt wheat: A review

Wheat was the first crop grown in Egypt, and it remains highly important. Egypt is the largest wheat importer in the world and consumes an extensive amount of bread. It is imperative for wheat scientists to decrease the large gap between production and consumption. Wheat yields in Egypt increased 5.8-fold(6.7 billion kg) between 1961 and 2017 due to variety improvement and the use of better planting methods such as the raised bed method, ideal sowing date, surge flow irrigation and farm irrigation systems, laser levelling, fertilizers, and intercropping with raised beds. In this paper, the development of wheat production techniques and variety evolution over more than five decades in Egypt have been analyzed. In particular, we have focused on the technologies, cultural practices and causes for per unit area yield increase. The main purpose was to study the issues that have arisen during wheat production and to make recommendations for smart agricultural practices. In 1981, the yield was 3 300 kg ha–1 and through the improvement of varieties, expansion of agricultural land and the adoption of modern agricultural techniques yield reached 6 500 kg ha–1 by 2017. The production growth rate was 4.1% annually, and the total grain yield increased 4.3-fold, from 1.9 billion kg in 1981 to about 8.1 billion kg in 2017. The use of new improved varieties, new cultivation techniques, and modern irrigation techniques contributed to 97.0% of the increase in yield per unit area and 1.5% of the increase in yield was due to planting area expansion. Therefore, the increase in total yield mainly depended on the increase in yield per unit area. Wheat production in Egypt has been improved through the development of breeding and cultivation techniques. The use of these new techniques, the popularization of new high-quality seed varieties, and the use of the raised bed method instead of the old method of planting in basins have made the largest contributions to increased yield. In the future, wheat yield could be further increased by using the tridimensional uniform sowing mode and the development of wheat varieties that are resistant to rusts, deficit irrigation, and abiotic stress, that are highly adaptable to mechanized operation and have high yields. Based on our analysis, we propose the main technical requirements and measures to increase wheat yield in Egypt in the near future.     

Genetic and Association Mapping Study of English Grain Aphid Resistance and Tolerance in Bread Wheat Germplasm

English grain aphid （EGA） is a destructive insect pest of wheat. To identify the loci associated with EGA resistance and tolerance, 70 bread wheat accessions mainly from central Asia were evaluated for EGA resistance and tolerance traits at two locations, and genotyped with 51 SSR markers. Totally, three accessions showed high or moderate levels resistance and 17 genotypes displayed highly or moderately tolerate to EGA. Genetic diversity of these lines was investigated also. After 97 SSR loci which evenly covered all wheat chromosomes were scanned for association, four SSR loci were significantly associated with EGA resistance and four with EGA tolerance. After association analysis was conducted with dynamic aphid densities, we found four loci Xgwm192b, Xgwm391, Xbarc98, and Xgwm613b were detected continuously at different growing stages of wheat. In addition, the loci of EGA resistance/tolerance and Russian wheat aphid resistance were compared. The results generated in this study would be helpful for utilization of the EGA resistance/tolerance germplasm, and for development of mapping populations in EGA resistance breeding programs.     

Influence of different nitrogen application on flour properties,gluten properties by HPLC and end-use quality of Korean wheat

This study was performed to identify how the different levels of nitrogen application affected the variances of gluten properties and end-use qualities and the differences of variances among Korean wheat cultivars. Protein and dry gluten content, SDS sedimentation volume and water absorption of Mixolab increased as nitrogen application increased. This ratio of the increase was higher in Korean wheat cultivars for bread than in Korean wheat cultivars for noodles and cookies. The proportion of(α+β)-gliadin measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC) increased, but the proportion of ω-and γ-gliadin decreased as the protein content increased. The Korean wheat cultivars for bread showed a high proportion of(α+β)-gliadin increase, the Korean cultivars for noodles had a high proportion of γ-gliadin decrease and the Korean wheat cultivars for cookies had a high proportion of ω-gliadin decrease. However, there was no variation of the component in the proportion of glutenin component measured by RP-HPLC, even though the protein content was increased, but all of the protein fractions measured by size exclusion(SE)-HPLC were increased. The soluble monomeric protein showed a high proportion of Korean wheat cultivars for bread by the increase of protein content. Bread loaf volume increased by the increase of protein content but there were no variances in the ratio of increase among Korean wheat cultivars. The cookie diameter decreased with the increase of protein content, and this ratio of decrease was the highest in Korean wheat cultivars for cookies. The hardness of cooked noodles also increased by the increase of protein content but there were no variations in springiness and cohesiveness. The decrease proportion of ω-gliadin affected the increase of bread loaf volume, the hardness of cooked noodles, and the decrease of cookie diameter.     

Assessment of Risk of Establishment of Wheat Dwarf Bunt （Tilletia controversa） in China

Wheat dwarf bunt, caused by Tilletia controversa Kühn (TCK), is an important quarantine wheat disease throughout the world. Based on published research results of the biology and the epidemiology of the disease, the main factors including temperature, humidity, snow cover, and their parameters relating to teliospore germination, infection and epidemics of TCK were determined. The geophytopathological models for the risk analysis of wheat dwarf bunt establishment were modified. Fifty-year meteorologic data from about 500 weather stations in China were used to calculate the probabilities of TCK establishment in different geographic sites with the models. The map that displays the establishment risk of TCK in winter wheat growing regions in China was generated by using geographical information system (GIS). The zones showing high, moderate, low, and very low, including no risk, of TCK establishment accounted for 27.33, 27.69, 38.12, and 6.86% of total winter wheat growing areas in China, respectively. These results will provide useful information to formulate quarantine regulations and wheat importation policy in China.     

Genetic Relationship Analysis of Ramie Accessions by RAPD Markers

Genetic relationship of 12 ramie varieties with different drought resistance was analysed by using RAPDI Twenty-five 10- mer random primers were used to amplify the total DNA of these varieties. The results ahowed that the amplified products of 12 ramie varieties could be obtained with 12 primers. The length of amplified products was 0.6- 5.15 kb. Ninety bands were identified in total, of which 11 bands were common in all 12 varieties and 79 bands were polymorphic. The polymorphic bands were 87.78% of the total amplified bands. According to the result of cluster analysis, 12 ramie varieties could be divided into two classes and three groups. It was found that high drought resistant varieties were clustered into different groups or subgroups in the same class, which shows near relationship among them.     

Identification of Wheat Canopy Structure Using Hyperspectral Data

Some winter wheat varieties were selected in this experiment. The results were as follows： 1） Leaf orientation value （LOV） and leaf area index （LAI） of wheat had different contributions to canopy spectral reflectance （CSR）. For example, LOV affected greatly canopy spectra more than LAI did in jointing stage, but LAI had a greater effect on CSR than LOV did after the ground was near to be covered completely. 2） Twenty treatments including different varieties and densities were arranged in this experiment, and the result of cluster analysis showed that all these treatments can be parted into four clusters according to LAI and LOV： varieties with erect leaves and low LAI （denoted as A）, varieties with erect leaves and high LAI （denoted as B）, varieties with horizontal leaves and low LAI （denoted as C）, varieties with horizontal leaves and high LAI （denoted as D）. Their CSR had difference in 400-700 nm and 700-1 150 nm at jointing stage, especially in different plant types. 3） There was obvious distribution difference among different clusters in scatter plot （X=△R890, Y=R890）, △R890 was the reflectance increment from jointing to booting stage. It was seen from the Y-axis direction that R890 of horizontal varieties were higher than the erect ones, and seen from the X-axis direction that the greater △R890 was, the lower LAI one within the same plant type varieties, which indicted that the combination of plant-type and the population magnitude can be initially identified by this method.     

Effect of Wheat Based Diet Supplemented with Xylanase on Blood Sugar and Total Protein in Serum of Geese

[Objective] The effects of wheat based diet supplemented with xylanase on blood sugar and total protein in serum of geese were studied. [Method] By using the randomized design of single factor,the 1-day-old healthy goslings were divided into 6 groups and fed with corn based diet,wheat based diet and wheat based diet supplemented with xylanase at different concentrations respectively,the contents of blood sugar and total protein in serum were determined. [Result] The wheat based diet supplemented with xylanase could increase the blood sugar and total protein in serum of geese and wheat based diet supplemented with 0.2% xylanase generated the best effect,which was higher than those of corn based diet group. As for the concentration of protein in serum,wheat based diet supplemented with 0.2% xylanase was significantly different from corn based diet and wheat based diet. [Conclusion] The wheat based diet supplemented with xylanase could enhance geese production.     

Conditional and unconditional QTLs mapping of gluten strength in common wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)

Dissecting the genetic relationships among gluten-related traits is important for high quality wheat breeding. Quantitative trait loci(QTLs) analysis for gluten strength,as measured by sedimentation volume(SV) and gluten index(GI),was performed using the QTLNetwork 2.0 software. Recombinant inbred lines(RILs) derived from the winter wheat varieties Shannong 01-35×Gaocheng 9411 were used for the study. A total of seven additive QTLs for gluten strength were identified using an unconditional analysis. QGi1 D-13 and QSv1 D-14 were detected through unconditional and conditional QTLs mapping,which explained 9.15–45.08% of the phenotypic variation. QTLs only identified under conditional QTL mapping were located in three marker intervals:WPT-3743–GLU-D1(1 D),WPT-7001–WMC258(1 B),and WPT-8682–WPT-5562(1 B). Six pairs of epistatic QTLs distributed nine chromosomes were identified. Of these,two main effect QTLs(QGi1 D-13 and QSv1 D-14) and 12 pairs of epistatic QTLs were involved in interactions with the environment. The results indicated that chromosomes 1 B and 1 D are important for the improvement of gluten strength in common wheat. The combination of conditional and unconditional QTLs mapping could be useful for a better understanding of the interdependence of different traits at the QTL molecular level.     

Development of marker Ms2 gene with a blue seed in durum and common wheat

In order to marker dominant nuclear gene Ms2 with a blue grain, a 4E disomic addition line ＇xiaoyanlanli＇（2n=44, AABBDD＋4EII） as the male parent to pollinate with male-sterile plants of durum wheat, controlled by a dominant nuclear gene Ms2, and a durum wheat line 89-2343 with Ms2 and blue seed marker on the same addition chromosome was developed. The genotype 89-2343 was crossed and backcrossed with a common wheat genotype 7739-3 to produce male fertile plants with blue seeds （MFP-BS）. To combine the blue seed marker, dwarf male-sterile plants carrying RhtlO and Ms2 were fertilized by pollen from selected MFP-BS. At last, the combination of blue seed marker, Ms2 and RhtlO was successfully produced. The segregation ratio of male sterility, seed color as well as chromosome configurations of the combinations suggested that the blue seed marker, Ms2 and RhtlO were located on the same chromosome. Cytological analysis indicated that the male sterile wheat line with a blue seed marker was 43 in chromosome number, with an additional chromosome. The transmission rate for blue seed male-sterile plants was 22.1% in common. In addition, the potential value for blue marker sterile lines in wheat breeding and hybrid production is discussed.     

Diversity of Antioxidant Content and Its Relationship to Grain Color and Morphological Characteristics in Winter Wheat Grains

The current interest in the health beneifts of whole wheat grain has prompted breeders to further increase the concentration of antioxidants in wheat. The objective of this study was to investigate the variation in antioxidant content among Chinese wheat grains and the relationship between antioxidants and grain color and morphological characteristics. A wide variation was observed in the total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant activity （AOA）, of Chinese wheat varieties. Black wheat had the highest mean total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents and the highest AOA, followed by red and white wheats. The grain color parameters were signiifcantly negatively correlated with total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents and AOA among all of the wheat varieties examined, and grain weight was also signiifcantly negatively correlated with these traits. The same correlation between grain weight and antioxidant traits was also observed within individual groups of wheat, which indicates that grain weight may be used as an index for selecting wheat varieties with high AOA. Landraces had signiifcantly higher lfavonoid content than commercial wheat varieties. The results of this study may be useful for breeding nutrient-rich wheat varieties.