Triticum polonicum L. as potential source material for the biofortification of wheat with essential micronutrients

Abstract

AbstractThe grain of modern wheat cultivars has a significantly lower mineral content, including the content of copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc. For this reason cereal breeders, are constantly searching for new genetic sources of minerals that are essential in human nutrition. Triticum polonicum, which is grown on a small scale in Spain, southern Italy, Algeria, Ethiopia and warm regions of Asia, deserves special attention in this context. The micronutrient and macronutrient content of T. polonicum versus T. durum and T. aestivum was compared in this study. Polish wheat grain was characterized by the significantly highest content of phosphorus (4.55 g/kg), sulphur (1.82 g/kg), magnesium (1.42 g/kg), zinc (49.5 mg/kg), iron (39.1 mg/kg) and boron (0.56 mg/kg) as well as a low content of aluminium (only 1.04 mg/kg). The macronutrient profile of most T. polonicum lines differed completely from that of common wheat and durum wheat. The principal component analysis supported discrimination of seven Polish wheat lines with a particularly beneficial micronutrient profile (P2, P3, P5, P7, P9, P22 and P25). These lines were characterized by the highest content of copper, iron and zinc, as well as the lowest concentrations of strontium, aluminium and barium which are undesirable in food products. The above lines can be potentially applied as source materials for breeding new wheat varieties. The results of this study indicate that Polish wheat could be used in genetic biofortification of durum wheat and common wheat.