Plant breeding for organic and sustainable, low-input agriculture

Utilisation of spelt and emmer wheat genetic resources as cultivars in organic
farming
Zdeněk Stehno 1 , Petr Konvalina 2 , Ladislav Dotlačil 1 , Jan Moudrý 2 ,
1 Division of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Product Quality, Crop Research Institute, Ruzyně,
Czech Republic; 2 Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of South
Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
With the aim to extend the spectra of grown crops mainly for organic farming, a collection of
spelt and emmer genetic resources in the Czech Gene Bank was screened and some promising
genotypes were selected. We focused on spelt wheat (Triticum spelta L.) because it is a
traditional crop grown mainly in the North - West European countries. Interest in this crop in the
Czech Republic is still increasing remarkably since 1990. Emmer wheat (T. dicoccon Schrank)
has very long tradition in its growing and use in human nutrition. In the place of present Czech
Republic it was important crop till ingress of Slavs in 6 th century A.D. when it was replaced by
bread wheat. In spite of its considerable importance it was not much bred and at present there are
only landraces and wild forms of this species available.
Spelt wheat has been collected as part of wheat collection of genetic resources. At present the
collection contains 77 accessions of Triticum spelta L. and most of them (38) come under var.
duhamelianum. Within the collection, the genotype 01C01-00670 (‘Fuggers Babenhauser
Zuchtweizen’) showed very high protein content. Repeated individual selection was used to
improve lodging resistance and stabilised high protein content. In 2001 material was registered
as ‘Rubiota’ cultivar. Among genetic resources of emmer wheat (114 accessions), the genotype
01C02-00948 appeared to be very perspective. Material later in ripeness, with good level of
resistance to fungal diseases and with high yield potential among genotypes of this species was
selected by bulk selection from this genetic resource. After three-year testing (DUS), it gained
certificate of legal protection as cultivar ‘Rudico’.
Winter spelt wheat ‘Rubiota’ has big grain with TKW reaching 60 g or more, which are not
released from spikelets as easily as in second registered spelt cultivar in CR, ‘Franckenkorn’.
Proportion of glumes in harvest varies between 23 and 25 %. Crude protein content (19.19 % in
2002) is usually 1.5 - 2 % higher then in ‘Franckenkorn’. The cultivar is relatively susceptible to
powdery mildew. Yield of naked grain in official test (UKZUZ, 2006) was 4.32 t/ha. Emmer
wheat ‘Rudico’ has proportion of glumes in harvested spikelets ranging closely around 20 %. It
is resistant to most of fungal diseases as powdery mildew, Pyranophora, Septoria tritici,
Septoria nodorum. In resistance to these diseases, it exceeds registered spring bread wheat
cultivars. Its resistance to Fusarium is medium. Among quality parameters, high crude protein
content (19 – 20 %) and gluten content approx. 45 % are important ones. Values of SDS
sedimentation test ranges between 35 and 40 ml. Grain yield is in comparison with other emmer
genotypes very high and reaches under favorable conditions 3 t/ha; in plot experiment in 1998
even 4.38 t naked grain per hectare. Maintance breeding of both cultivars which is in progress in
the Crop Research Institute and ensured seed groving under organic system create favourable
conditions for their successful utilization. That extends possibility to use spelt and emmer wheat
for production of bio-food.
Acknowledgement: Supported by the Research Plan MZE ČR 0002700602.
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