ASSESSMENT OF BIOCHEMICAL DIVERSITY, ESTIMATION OF MINERAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN DIFFERENT WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) GENOTYPES

Hunger and minerals malnutrition are major health risk factors in the developing countries. Wheat is a major staple food in the world, but it is inherently low in grain Zn concentration especially when grown on Zn deficit calcareous soils. Therefore, producing Zn enriched wheat grains at the farmers' fields is the best solution against human Zn deficiency. The research was comprised of nutritional and biochemical characterization of different wheat genotypes to estimate the genetic diversity and to select the genotypes that contain higher nutritional value. The genotypes were consisted of cultivated varieties, elite varieties and advanced lines. To assess genetic divergence, estimation of mineral composition and to establish the nutritional status of various genotypes. In multivariate data analysis have 11 variables which have maximum variability. The first five principal components (jollif cut off = 0.7) were chosen for modeling the data which commonly accounted for 77.80% of the cumulative variation. scree plot diagram showed that the first five components generated maximum variability. PCI contributed 25.52%, PC2 19.55%, PC3 13.13%, PC4 11.53% and PC5 8.15% ofthe total variation. In PCI versus PC2 scatter bi plot describes 45.07% ofthe total data variability. Iron, manganese, chromium, lead and potassium were the dominant variables. The genotypes Inqlab-91, Lasani-2008, WC-24, Shahkar-95, Shafaq-2006 and BARS-2009 found at the outskirts of 95% hull, separted away from other genotypes indicating diversity. These genotypes can be exploited in breeding programmes aiming at grain quality parameters, as maximum heterosis for grain quality parameters can be harvested from these genotypes laying foundations for future wheat grain quality.