Selection and evaluation of emmer, eincorn and spelta germplasm in Greece for organic farming adaptability and bakery-nutritional quality

Abstract

In recent years, greek consumers expressed interest for wheat, quality bakery products, organically produced from traditional varieties and also from "ancient" or "hulled" wheat, particularly einkorn, emmer, or spelta. To meet the growing demand of farmers for seed due to the attractiveness of this new market, it was nesessary, using  European and Balkan traditional germplasm, to select appropriate hulled wheat varieties with adaptation to organic farming and low-input agriculture. Already selected lines from 2012 and  2013 and some new untested genotypes were sown in 2014 in two locations, under low input and organic conditions for evaluation and organic breeding puproses. Furthermore,  it was used a breeding scheme for selection and evaluation of their yield potential and technological seed traits under organic  and low input growing conditions.Preliminary results  have shown  significant differences among genotypes in agronomical performance and  also specific traits  important for organic breeding and related to grain quality

Keywords: hulled wheat, organic farming, baking quality, low input, Triticum spp.