Discriminant analysis of selected yield components and fatty acid composition of chosen Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum and Triticum spelta accessions

This study analyses the variability of key yield components, the content of protein and crude fat in grain and the fatty acid composition of 50 spring accessions of Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum and Triticum spelta of various origins. The average protein content of the grain of T monococcum was 20.8%, of T. dicoccum 19.7%, and of spelt 17.0%. The crude fat content of T monococcum grain (2.7%) was significantly higher compared with T spelta (2.4%) and T dicoccum (2.3%). In crude fate fatty acids C18:2, C18:1 and C16 predominated. T spelta was characterised by the highest concentrations of C18:2 and C16 (55.89% and 18.77% respectively), while T monococcum had the highest content of C18:1 (26.35%). The structure of analysed fatty acids proved to be highly desirable in this species. A discriminant analysis performed separately for five variables: protein and fat content and three biometrical characters and separately for fatty acid composition enabled three Triticum species to be distinguished. These species also differed significantly with respect to the C18:1/C16 ratio which was equal to 1.78, 1.06, 1.47 and 0.99 in T monococcum, T dicoccum, T spelta and Triticum aestivum respectively. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.