Aegilops tauschii Coss., a diploid progenitor of common wheat, Triticum aestivum L., is a valuable source of pest resistance alleles. However, interspecific populations generated for pest-resistant germplasm development may contain beneficial alleles for other important traits. The objective of this research was to evaluate eight agronomic and grain quality traits in three soft red winter wheat x Ac. tauschii backcross populations. 

A total of 355 BC2F2-derived lines were grown at locations in North Carolina and Virginia for two seasons. Grain quality evaluations were conducted at the USDA-ARS Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory. Fifty-four percent of lines did not differ significantly from their recurrent parent, averaged over all eight traits. 

In general, distributions were negatively skewed for grain yield and test weight and positively skewed for heading date, plant height, flour protein concentration, and alkaline water retention capacity. Line distributions for flour yield and softness equivalent were population-dependent. Twenty-three lines were significantly superior to their recurrent parent for one or more grain quality traits and similar to the recurrent parent for all remaining traits. Researchers who generate interspecific T. aestivum x Ac. tauschii populations for pest-resistant germplasm development can identify lines with beneficial alleles governing other traits in an acceptable cultivated background if the progeny undergo additional screening.