Development of a new winter wheat cultivar, ‘Tatsukirari’ with good bread-making and soy-sauce-brewing quality for western Japan

Abstract

The bread-making quality of wheat flour relies on a high grain protein content. High-protein bread wheat is used also in soy sauce brewing. Since the quality of soy sauce is greatly influenced by the content of proteins, which contributes to the umami taste, high-protein wheat is a crucial raw material. There is a demand for brewing cultivars in western Japan with the following critical traits: preharvest sprouting resistance, lodging resistance, disease resistance, and winter habit. The Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, developed a new hard winter wheat cultivar, ‘Tatsukirari’, which has good adaptability and a high protein content, and is suitable for both bread-making and soy sauce brewing. ‘Tatsukirari’ is a standard amylose-type wheat. Its winter habit limits the risk of frost damage to young panicles in early spring. Its short culm provides strong resistance to lodging. And it has a higher grain protein content and stronger dough properties, resulting in better bread-making quality, than ‘Setokirara’, a cultivar widely grown in western Japan. Its suitability for soy sauce brewing is comparable to that of ‘Yumechikara’, a late-maturing cultivar grown for brewing in Hyogo Prefecture, and ‘Tatsukirari’ has been identified as suitable for brewing light soy sauce. The cultivation of ‘Tatsukirari’ in Hyogo Prefecture and surrounding areas as a bread and brewing cultivar will support regional industries such as the production of light soy sauce.