8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

huLLed WheATS of CeNTRAL IRAN: TheIR PoLoIdy
ANd geNomIC STATuS, gRAIN yIeLd ANd NuTRITIoNAL
ATTRIBuTeS
Parviz Ehsanzadeh, Aghafakhr Mirlohi,
Reza Mohammadi, Azadeh Shaibani-rad
and Mohammad Shahedi
College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan-84156 83111, Iran
E-mail Address of presenting author: ehsanp@cc.iut.ac.ir
The genus Triticum consists of species from the three ploidy levels, i.e. di-, tetra- and
hexaploid. Hulled wheats are probably amongst the earliest domesticated plants and have
been used as staple crop for several centuries; in fact the first hexaploid wheat has been
a hulled wheat. Among the hexaploid hulled wheats is spelt which its center of origin is,
however, somewhat disputed. Some reports provide evidence for southwestern Asia and
Iran as center of origin of spelt (Kuckuck’s claim at 1959 that villagers of Bakhtiari province
at central Iran grow spelt landraces). Nowadays, some farmers at Isfahan and Bakhtiari
provinces of central Iran grow hulled wheats in thier marginal lands. Taxonomic
and experimental work on present-day hulled wheats of central Iran is scarce; therefore,
a serries of experiments were conducted to identify thier polidy level as well as genomic
status, in addition to comparing grain yield and quality attributes (i.e. protein and and
gluten content and kernel hardness) to the durum wheat genotypes. Root-tips from the
germinated seeds were used for aceto-Iron-Hematoxylin staining and chromosome studies.
Pollen mother cells were used for microscopic studies of meiotic metaphase and genomic
status of the hulled wheats. A RCBD field experiment was used to study the grain
yield and quality attributes of the hulled wheats compared to the durum wheat. A split
plot RCBD field experiment was carried out to evaluate the response of these neglected
wheats to the N fertilization deficit (20 kg ha-1 N).
Cytogenetic studies revealed that these hulled wheats are tetraploid. Microscopic examination
of pollen mother cells at meiotic metaphase was indicative of an AABB type of
genome for the hulled wheats. Grain yield and gluten quality of the hulled wheats was
lower; however their protein content and kernel hardness was to some extent higher,
compared to the durum wheat. Nitrogen fertilization deficit condition (i.e. 20 kg ha-1 N
level) left a somewhat positive impact on agronomic performance of the hulled wheats,
leading to a 30% increase in their grain yield, compared to the 200 kg ha-1 N level.
Our studies cast doubt on the previous reports on the presence of spelt in centeral Iran,
while proving an AABB genome for the hulled wheats of Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces.
These hulled wheats seem far inferior in terms of agronomics and grain yield, though
they posses some valuable nutritional characteristics and the capability to be grown under
N-deficit conditions and the production of chemical-free health-food products.
92