Influence of Environment on Agronomic and Qualitative Traits: 3 Years of KAMUT® Khorasan Wheat Production

In the present study, 162 samples of KAMUT® khorasan wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum) harvested in North America during three cropping seasons (2010, 2011, and 2012) were analyzed to highlight direct and indirect associations with the main agrometeorological components via path analysis. Agronomic traits (yield), nutritional (test weight, protein, and starch content), and nutraceutical composition (dietary fibre, polyphenol, and flavonoid content) were examined. Path coefficient analysis showed that mean temperature (−0.377) and rainfall (−0.196) had high negative direct effects on yield. Among the qualitative traits, the content of free polyphenols (−0.568) and soluble dietary fibre (+0.393) was highly correlated with mean temperature, respectively, while the content of bound polyphenols was correlated with rainfall (+0.455). In addition, results allowed us to fill the existing knowledge gap, highlighting the direct and indirect effects of agroclimatic variables on yield, nutritional, and nutraceutical traits.