The study of modern winter rye cultivars based on the technological properties of grain

Background. Despite the high variability of the qualitative properties in winter rye grain under the effect of weather conditions, the development of breadmaking cultivars based on their comprehensive study remains an important task of breeding.

Materials and methods. Technological assessment of grain was performed for 17 winter rye cultivars. Three reproductions were obtained in 2022–2024 under the conditions of the Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR, the fourth reproduction was seeds from originator institutions. Grain quality was analyzed in accordance with the guidelines and State Standards: grain vitreousness, falling number, thermodynamic properties of the paste, protein content, ash content, microbaking of hearth bread, rheological properties of the dough, and pentosan content. For the first time, the method of two-phase sedimentation was used for rye grain.

Results. The most stable amylogram heights were recorded for cvs. ‘Flora’, ‘Moskovskaya 18’, ‘Nemchinovsky 1’, and ‘Ilmen’. Cvs. ‘Saratovskaya 10’ and ‘Novosibirskaya 17’ showed increased amylase activity in grain. Cvs. ‘Arga’ and ‘Kiprez’ had high vitreousness. Increased pentosan content was observed in cvs. ‘Kiprez’, ‘Dana’, ‘Darvet’, and ‘Grafinya’. The sedimentation assessment results differentiated the cultivars well, generally reflecting the technological properties of grain.

Conclusion. There were significant differences among cultivars in most of the technological assessment and grain quality criteria, but many of them were significantly affected by growing conditions. Cvs. ‘Arga’ and ‘Kiprez’ can be used in breadmaking as dough conditioners in yeast recipes. Cvs. ‘Saratovskaya 10’ and ‘Novosibirskaya 17’ are promising for fodder production. The method of two-phase sedimentation is recommended for express assessment of winter rye grain quality on small samples.

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