EVALUATION OF THE COMPOSITION OF WINTER WHEAT GRAINS GROVN IN LATVIA AND NORWAY

Abstract

Wheat is one of the major grains in the diet of the world’s population and therefore
it may have a great impact on human health. The yield and chemical composition
of grains can vary greatly due to genetic and environmental factors. The aim of the
present study was to assess how different climatic conditions affect the chemical
composition of wheat grains of the same genotipe. The field trials were established
in Stende (Latvia) and at Apelsvoll (Norway). Wheat varieties used were ‘Edvins’,
‘Ellvis’ and ‘Skagen’ In the studied samples the content of protein, amino acids,
1000 grain weight, hectolitre weight and falling number were determined. The
protein content in the grains ranged from 8.9% to 11.8% in organic fields and from
10.0 to 13.1% in conventional fields and differed between the varieties. The protein
content in the samples of the same variety differed significantly due to
environmental conditions. The difference in protein content was greater in the
organic fields. The 1000 kernel weight in the wheat grain samples varied from 39.9
to 49.2 and depended on the variety and the growing place. The ratio of essential
amino acids to the total content of amino acids (in %) ranged from 30.8 to 33.3% in
the conventional growing system and from 30.5 to 32.9% in the organic growing
system. Significant difference between the varieties was not detected.