New Native Wheat Variety Born: Taichung No. 35, Low-Gluten and High-Yield
A new locally bred wheat variety has been developed! Following "Taichung Selection No. 2," the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station spent seven years on research and finally today (March 10) released the new wheat variety "Taichung No. 35." Its yield is 17% higher than that of Taichung Selection No. 2, and its low-gluten characteristics make it suitable for cakes and cookies, which is expected to open up a larger market for local wheat.
Lin Hsueh-Shih, head of the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, said that Taichung No. 35 was introduced in ROC year 99 (2010) from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. After 7 years of improvement and selection, a suitable line was identified and successfully trial-planted. The characteristics of Taichung No. 35 make it suitable for development into low-gluten flour, and it is expected that farmers can begin planting it by the end of next year.
Lin Hsun-Shih, a technician at the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station who is in charge of breeding, said that the yield of Taichung No. 35 is nearly 17% higher than that of Taichung Selection No. 2, with strong environmental adaptability. Under conventional cultivation, it can reach 4.2 metric tons per hectare, and under organic and eco-friendly cultivation it should also reach 3 metric tons, which should help bring down the cost of locally produced wheat. In addition, this variety requires low fertilization; if too much fertilizer is applied, the gluten strength shoots up, which instead makes it unsuitable, so it is very well suited to organic or eco-friendly cultivation.
Lin Hsueh-Shih said that in the future they will continue to promote local wheat breeding, hoping to release one variety each year for the next three years. In addition to experimenting with varieties suitable for making noodles, the problem of pre-harvest sprouting on the ear, which commonly troubles farmers, is still being studied to find suitable varieties for improvement, and will also be included in breeding goals.
