AMINO-ACID-COMPOSITION OF SELECTED STRAINS OF DIPLOID WHEAT, TRITICUM-MONOCOCCUM L

Diploid wheat (Triticum monococcum L., einkorn) is of interest both as a crop and as a source of genes unavailable in the more widely grown wheat species, T. aestivum L. (common wheat) and T. durum Desf. (durum wheat). The biochemical constituents of its seeds, however, have been investigated very little. In this study, 15 strains of T, monococcum and two modern cultivars of common wheat and durum wheat were compared with regard to grain protein content and amino acid composition of se ed proteins. Differences in amino acid composition between these three species of wheat and among diploid wheat strains were minimal, especi ally after amino acid values were adjusted to a common protein level. One of the einkorn accessions examined, however, presented a deviant a mino acid profile. This strain may be of use for investigating the bio synthetic pathway of wheat proteins. Among einkorns, correlations betw een grain protein content and amino acid values were positive for glut amine and proline and negative for threonine, 1/2 cystine, valine, iso leucine, leucine, asparagine, serine, glycine, and alanine.