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Aminoacid composition and species relationships in genus Triticum

D. LAFIANDRA, E. PORCEDDU, G. COLAPRICO

Germplasm Laboratory, CNR, Bari, Italy

The genus Triticum is composed of di- tetra- and hexa-ploid species including both wild cultivated types. Based on evidence from chromosome pairing in F1 hybrids and on gross morphological and karyotype comparisons, three basic genomes-A, B and D- have been recognised in the cultivated types. Tetraploids - AABB - are thought to be originated by amphiploidy between diploids AA and BB (JENKINS, 1929 ; SARKAR and STEBBINS, 1956; SEARS, 1956; RILEY, et al., 1958), probably before the advent of agriculture, while exaploids - AABBDD - emerged later as a result of amphiploidy between a tetraploid AABB and diploid DD (KIHARA, 1944; MCFADDEN and SEARS, 1944).

The problem of confirming the parents of polyploid types is intensified by the genetic heterogeneity accumulated by them in centuries of evolution.

In recent times, numerous biochemical parameters, such as phenolic compounds (Dass, 1972 ; FROST and HOLM, 1977), proteins (JOHNSON and HALL, 1965, 1966), isoenzyme (NAKAI, 1973 ; MITRA and BHATIA, 1971 ; JAASKA, 1978) and immunochemical methods (Bozzini et al. 1973) have been used for studying the phylogenetic relationships in wheats.

The present investigation on quantitative differences in the aminoacids, from hydrolyzed proteins, of different species of Triticum was undertaken in order to assess the biochemical bases of the species relationships.

Material and Methods

33 samples of different species of Triticum - 3 samples of T. monococcum, 10 samples of T. durum, 11 samples of T. aestivum, 1 sample of T. speltoides, 2 samples of T. tauschii, 2 samples of T. longissimum and 4 samples of T. dicoccoides - were included in the analysis.

Seeds were derived from a cultivation performed in the same place during the same year. Protein content was determined, by microkjeldahl method, as a crude nitrogen times 5.7; aminoacid composition was determined by an ion exchange chromatography on the hydrolized meals. Aminoacid content was expressed as a % of protein content. Methionine and cystine were not determined.

Analysis of variance was performed for each aminoacid ; correlation coefficients and canonical analysis were determined on mean values per species.



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