(2 n = 4 x = 28, BBA uA u) resulted in the emergence of the domesticated Triticum dicoccon Schübl. Human cultivation of the tetraploid wild emmer Triticum dicoccoides (Körn. The evolutionary history of wheat is characterized by the allo-polyploidization of the originally diploid Triticum and Aegilops species, which led to the emergence of tetra- and hexaploid wheat species. The center of wheat diversity and initial domestication lies in the Fertile Crescent. The main characteristic of domesticated cereals is the loss of the ability to survive independently in the wild (Meyer and Purugganan 2013 Purugganan and Fuller 2009 Zohary et al.
Domesticated plants fulfilled the requirements of human cultivation and dietary preference. This is due to the evolutionary history, in which the process of domestication plays a predominant role (Dubcovsky and Dvorak 2007). The two economically most important wheat species have different levels of ploidy. Hexaploid bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L., 2 n = 6 x = 42, BBA uA uDD) accounts for about 90% of wheat production, and tetraploid pasta wheat ( Triticum durum Desf., 2 n = 4 x = 28, BBA uA u) is the 10th most important staple crop (International Grains Council (2020). It provides 19% of human calorie intake and 21% of protein intake (Shiferaw et al. Wheat is one of the world’s most important crops.
Thus, the timopheevii lineage should be subject to grain quality research to explore the full diversity of the wheat gene pool.
Generally, the timopheevii lineage has been neglected to date regarding grain quality studies. In this review, we identified evolutionary patterns and the potential of wheat wild relatives for quality improvement regarding the micronutrients Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn), the gluten storage proteins α-gliadins and high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), and the secondary metabolite phenolics.
Breeding and improvement in wheat altered its grain quality. Its evolutionary diversity includes diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species from the Triticum and Aegilops taxa and different genomes, generating an AA, BBAA/GGAA and BBAADD/GGAAA mA m genepool, respectively. Triticum durum Desf.) is one of the most important staple foods and was among the first domesticated crop species. However, ancient diversity has been conserved in crop wild relatives. Continuous selection and cultivation of domesticated plants induced genetic bottlenecks. Abstractĭomestication enabled the advancement of civilization through modification of plants according to human requirements. We evaluated the potential of wheat wild relatives for the improvement in grain quality characteristics including micronutrients (Fe, Zn) and gluten and identified diploid wheats and the timopheevii lineage as the most promising resources.