## 3 Results and Discussion
### Grain Composition Analysis  
The effect of variety, location, and year on the response variables--protein, \(\beta\)-glucan, and arabinoxylans--was evaluated using a three-way ANOVA, followed by post hoc analysis using Turkey's HSD. Before conducting the ANOVA, the assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance were assessed for all response variables. Normality was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The results indicated that protein and \(\beta\)-glucan required log transformations to meet normality assumptions, while starch and arabinoxylans were sufficiently normal. Homogeneity of variance was assessed using [PERSON]'s test, which confirmed that the variances were homogeneous across groups for each variable. Statistical Analysis of Variability  
ANOVA was conducted to assess the significance of the influence of site (Tipperary and Carlow), variety (LG Astronomer, Torp, Viscount, Elation, and Revelation), and harvest year (2020 and 2021) on the grain composition, as summarised in Table 1 below. From the above table, it can be concluded that the protein content is primarily affected by the harvest year and wheat variety, which suggests that both the genetic makeup of the crop and climatic conditions during each harvest season play an important role in determining protein levels. There was a significant interaction between varieties and location, suggesting that the impact of variety on protein content depended on the location where it was grown. It aligns with the literature, which suggests that geography is known to affect the protein components of wheat, majorly gliadin and glutenin [22]. Additionally, interactions between variety and year, as well as location and year, were also significant. Post hoc analysis revealed that Torp and revelation had a higher protein content than Elation, and protein content was significantly lower in samples from 2021 than in 2020. Starch content, on the other hand, was significantly influenced by all the factors (variety, location, and year). Factors such as environmental conditions, including temperature, rainfall, and soil characteristics, play a critical role in determining the synthesis and quality of starch in wheat grains. Studies have shown that even environmental stress factors, such as heat and drought, can directly impact starch metabolism by altering the enzyme activity during crucial periods like anthesis and grain filling, which in turn affects starch composition and quality across different years [23]. Additionally, factors such as variation in the timing of sowing and the specific environmental conditions during different seasons have also been found to significantly alter starch properties, such as viscosity and thermal characteristics, indicating the importance of site-specific agricultural practices and seasonal timing [24]. Post hoc analysis revealed that the starch content in Tipperary was significantly higher than that in Carlow. For the non-starch polysaccharides (arabinoxylans and \(\beta\)-Glucan), all factors, such as wheat variety, location of harvest, and harvest year, had a significant effect, and even the interaction effect between all three factors was significant for the non-starch polysaccharides. Tipperary showed a significantly lower \(\beta\)-glucan content compared to Carlow, and 2021 samples had lower \(\beta\)-glucan content compared to 2020.