Factors influencing falling number in winter wheat

The Hagberg falling number (HFN) is one of the most important quality characteristics of wheat. Six winter wheat cultivars from three locations in Germany were analysed to assess the factors influencing the HFN. The cultivars and locations affected significantly the HFN of all the samples. The infection with Fusarium culmorum, determined in another cultivar, also led to an increase in HFN, which suggested that the HFN method is not adequate enough for the true determination of the alpha-amylase activity of fungus-infected, wheat flour. Furthermore, there was no clear correlation between HFN and thousand-kernel weight, starch content or pentosan content. The crude protein content was positively related to the HFN, while the total dietary fibre content depended on the cultivar and location.