Effect of agro-ecological conditions and sowing practices on wheat quality attributes

The field experiment was conducted under four thermal environments (E₁:15^th November, E₂:30^th November, E₃:15^th December, E₄:30 December) and three sowing methods (M₁: Broadcast, M₂: Line sowing and M₃: Bed planting) with three replications in Split Plot Design at Narmadapuram M.P. Results revealed that grain yield maximum (5262 and 4941 kg ha^-1) was found significantly higher in 15^th November sowing environment as compared to other sowing environments. Quality parameters viz., the protein content, gluten, sedimentation and grain hardness were significantly superior in 30^th December sowing environment and bed plating are positive correlated and increase these quality parameters in wheat grain. The hectolitre weight, iron and zinc were significantly highest in 15^th November sowing environment with bed planting method. The study indicates that early sowing (November 15th) is optimal for maximizing wheat grain yield, while late sowing (December 30th) combined with bed planting favors better grain quality parameters. However, a trade-off exists between yield and quality as the highest yielding environment produced lower quality grain.