Nutritional properties of Macedonian landraces of small grain cereals as a source of new genetic variability

Taking into account the better agro-ecological adaptations developed over time to climate changed conditions, cereal local populations (landraces) represent a valuable plant genetic resources with their perspective reflected in the creation of better quality commercial cereal genotypes. The objectives of this research were to explore: i) the genetic variability of nutritional properties of Macedonian landraces of small grain cereals-wheat, barley, oat, and rye; ii) associations among nutritional properties; iii) strength and weakness of landraces based on nutritional properties profiles. Collecting missions were carried out in 2013 year in different locations of rural areas at the territory of Republic of Macedonia. Ten sub-samples of 100 g seeds were extracted from each of regenerated landrace in order to obtain a well-balanced analytical sample. All samples were analysed for moisture content - MOI (%), protein content - PC (%), fat content - FC (%), crude fibre content - CF (%), wet gluten content - WG (%), and dry gluten content - DG (%). In regard to assessed nutritional properties the most perspective landraces proved to be: Okalesta bela (CF of = 2.62%) of bread wheat; Zimski (WG of = 9.24%), Dabilski nizok (DG of = 4.2%) and Ednoreden (CF of = 5.18%) of barley; Šopski (PC of = 14.62%), Gabarski (FC of = 6.46%) and Sekuliĉki (CF of = 9.89%) of oat; Ĉalakliski (PC of = 14.43%, CF of = 8.16%), Koselski (FC of = 4.19%), and Gabarski (DG of = 3.14%) of rye. The positive associations among nutritional properties of Macedonian landraces of small grain cereals were: all examined nutritional properties except PC and CF in bread wheat landraces; PC, WG, DG, MOI as one cluster, and FC and CF as another cluster in barley landraces; all examined nutritional properties except MOI and CF in oat landraces; PC, CF, FC as one cluster and DG and MOI as another cluster in rye landraces. The Macedonian landraces of small grain cereals proved to be new sources of genetic variability of nutritional properties which can be used in breeding, because they outperformed commercial check cultivar landraces with statistical significance (P < 0.05) for: MOI (4 landraces) and CF (4 landraces) for bread wheat; WG (Zimski), DG (3 landraces), CF (7 landraces) for barley; CF (5 landraces) for oat; DG (1 landrace), MOI (4 landraces), FC (4 landraces in rye).