The composition of high-molecuiar-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) and low-molecularweight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) in wheat {Triticum aestivum L.) kernel affects the size of glutenin macropolymer (GMP), which is considered the important flour quality traits in wheat. Three wheat cultivars with different end-use quality were used to study the effects of water-nitrogen (W X N) management on relative HMW-GS and GMP contents. Under irrigation, increased N levels promoted the accumulation of HMWand LMW-GS, GMP content, and the proportion of the larger particle of GMP, with higher yield and better end-use quality. Under rainfed conditions, increased N fertilizer also increased protein content in the three cultivars. As opposed to 'Gaocheng8901', 'Shannong1391' and Taishan23' got higher HMW-and LMW-GS contents and larger GMP particles, but reduced yields of both. Irrigation increased the yield markedly, the N application significantly affected the glutenin, but the W X N interaction was not significant. On one hand, increased N levels improved the dough development time by increasing the numbers of larger GMP particles and enhancing volume and surface area percentages on the other. It was suggested that the interaction was a complicated network and some individual effect might be important. When managing for wheat yield and quality, growers should first consider the water factor, then the N fertilizer factor to improve the end-use quality of wheat.Abbreviations: D3.2, weighted average surface area of the glutenin macropolymer particles; D4.3, weighted average volume of the glutenin macropolymer particles; DDT, dough development time; GC89()1, 'Gaocheng890r; GMP, glutenin macropolymer; H/L, the ratio of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits to low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits; HMW-GS, high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits; LMW-GS, low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits; RP-HFLC, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography; RT, room temperature; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate; SEM, scanning electron microscopy; SN1391, 'Shannongl391'; TFA, trifluoroacetic acid; TS23, 'Taishan23'; W x N, water-nitrogen interaction. W HEAT {Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most essential crops in Asia, providing 45 to 60% of the dietary calories consumed by >2 billion people. Wheat is also a leading source of vegetable protein in human food. However, environmental factors that impact grain quality, such as climatic and agronomic measures, vary from year to year. Wheat flour quality, which is influenced by both genetic and environmental conditions, is mainly determined by the composition and content of wheat gluten (Clyde et al., 2005;DuPont et al., 2007). Wheat gluten consists of two major components: the monomeric gliadines which are viscous and are readily soluble in aqueous alcohol, and the polymeric glutenins which are elastic and insoluble in alcohol. Large gluten polymers control dough rheology (Lefebvre et al., 2000). One type of large gluten polymer is glutenin macropolymer (GMP), which is sodium dodecyl sulfat...