Changes in the Grain Element Contents of Durum Wheat Varieties of Turkey Registered between 1967–2010

Abstract

ABSTRACTWhile grain yield is the main consideration in developing new cultivars, grain element compositions were also affected by the process of plant breeding. This research aims to evaluate genotypic variation in thousand kernel weights (TKW), percentages of yellowberry kernels (PYK), boron, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, nickel, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc contents in the grains of 29 Turkish durum wheat cultivars (triticum durum) released between 1967–2010. Element contents of grain samples are determined with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results of 2 years of field trials indicated significant variation between cultivars in terms of all investigated traits (p < .01). TKW of Turkish durum cultivars along with calcium, copper, and sulfur contents are found to be consistently increasing over time with positive correlations to each other. On the other hand, boron and zinc contents of the grain remained unaffected during the process of plant breeding when sodium contents decreased. We suggest that selecting for new germplasm to increase iron, zinc, and phosphorus contents of durum grain will contribute to the nutritional value of its products.