AUTHOR=Palombieri Samuela , Bonarrigo Marco , Cammerata Alessandro , Quagliata Giulia , Astolfi Stefania , Lafiandra Domenico , Sestili Francesco , Masci Stefania 

TITLE=Characterization of Triticum turgidum sspp. durum, turanicum, and polonicum grown in Central Italy in relation to technological and nutritional aspects

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1269212

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1269212

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Wheat is a staple food, with the two most common species being <italic>Triticum aestivum</italic> and <italic>Triticum turgidum</italic> ssp<italic>. durum</italic>. Moreover, the latter, <italic>T. turgidum</italic>, includes other tetraploid subspecies, among which the sspp. <italic>turanicum</italic> (Khorasan wheat) and <italic>polonicum</italic> (Polish wheat), whose importance has increased in the last decades, representing alternative crops for marginal areas, in addition to being a source of genetic diversity.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In this work, different accessions of these three subspecies of <italic>T. turgidum</italic> have been grown in 2 years in the same environment and have been characterized for technological properties and factors affecting nutritional quality, such as fiber amount and the content of micro- and macro-nutrients in grains, and for root morphological traits.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>These analyses allowed the identification, in particular, of a Polish wheat accession showing better technological performances, a higher amount of positive micro- and macro-elements, and a lower amount of toxic cadmium. The modern variety Svevo and the Polish Pol2 showed the lowest and the highest shoot:root ratio, respectively. The high shoot:root ratio in Pol2 was mainly attributable to the decrease in root growth. Although Pol2 had a lower root biomass, its particular root morphology made it more efficient for nutrient uptake, as evident from the greater accumulation of micro- and macro-nutrients.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>These results underline that it is not possible to draw general conclusions about the difference between primitive and modern wheats, but rather a case-by-case approach should be chosen.</p></sec>