Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 October 2024
Diversity in agronomically important traits of wild emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccoides, the progenitor of most cultivated wheats, was examined in l60 genotypes representing 16 populations derived from a wide ecogeographical spectrum of climate, soil and water availability in Israel and Turkey. The analysis included 14 quantitative economic characters including heading date, culm length, biomass, grain yield and its components, and grain protein percentage.
The results led to two major conclusions: (i) agronomically important traits varied genetically: ecogeographic diversity in these traits is dramatically displayed when populations are grown in a relatively standardized environment; and (ii) genetic diversity is revealed not only between, but also within populations. Thus, genotypes excelling in some of these characters were found in several populations.