EFFECTS OF HARVEST TIME ON THE QUALITY COMPONENTS OF WINTER WHEAT

Wheat quality is highly influenced by soil and weather factors such as the amount and pattern of the precipitation during grain harvest. Wet gluten (WG) and protein content (PC), gluten spreading (GS), Hagberg falling number (FN), farinographic value ICC stability and hardness index (HI) of 13 commercially grown wheat (Trilicum aestivum L.) cultivars were measured during a two year (2006, 2007) period in Szeged, Southern Hungary to estimate the effect of delayed harvest on the flour quality. Results, proved that damages emerged in the rheological parameters due to late harvest are different in the years studied. We did riot observe a coherent trend in changes of most of the traits in the current study. Even, contrary to the expectation, FV and GS showed raise in one year in delayed harvest. Other features like PC and HI were decreased in value. Results proved that delayed harvest along with harvest-tirne rains is able to produce a serious stress position of grain traits in wheat cultivars but the volume of quality degradation depends strongly on the cultivar and the climatic condition of the given year.