Analytical assessment of physical characteristics, metabolic processes, and molecular investigations of selected wheat (Triticum spp.) cultivars

Overall, the investigated Egyptian wheat cultivars demonstrated competitive or superior performance in standard physical and nutritional parameters compared to the imported varieties, with Sohag 5 and Misr 1 notably excelling in grain quality and micronutrient content. The genetic diversity analysis, incorporating protein profiling, SCoT markers, and rbcL chloroplast DNA barcoding, effectively characterized the genetic landscape of the cultivars. A key finding was the consistent genetic distinction of specific Egyptian cultivars, notably Sohag 5 and Benisuif 6, which clustered uniquely, aligning with their classification as durum wheat varieties. This revealed genetic relationships, alongside the identified superior traits (e.g., in Sohag 5), provides valuable insights that can be strategically utilized in breeding programs to develop new wheat cultivars with enhanced quality and adaptability to diverse climatic conditions.