The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of five macro-and fifteen microelements in the whole grain of spring lines of emmer, einkorn, spelt and two common wheat cultivars, all grown under identical environmental conditions. All elements were determined by ICP-SFMS analysis. The studied Triticum species differed significantly with respect to the concentrations of P, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn, Na, Cu, Sr, Rb, and Mo. The grain of all hulled wheats, compared with common wheat, contained significantly more Zn (from 34% to 54%), Fe (from 31% to 33%) and Cu (from 3% to 28%). In the majority of cases, there were no relationships between the concentrations of the analyzed elements, except for significant positive correlations between the levels of Fe, Zn and Mn, in particular in T. monococcum and T. dicoccum. The classical linear discriminant analysis enabled to distinguish between the three studied Triticum species with regard to the concentrations of all analyzed elements in their grain. A significant discrimination indicates that the concentrations of the investigated elements are a species-specific character. A strong correlation between Zn, Fe and Mn could have important implications for wheat quality breeding.

The chemical composition of the essential oils from the needles of Pinus ponderosa (north american pine), P. resinosa (red pine) and P. strobus (eastern white pine) has been determined by GC/MS (FID). The essential oils from P. resinosa and P. ponderosa in comparison to P. strobus have been characterized by the higher content of -pinene (42.4%, 45.7% and 7.9% respectively). On the other hand, α-pinene (17.7%) and germacrene D (12.2%) were dominant compounds of P. strobus. Moreover the essential oil from P. resinosa was more rich in myrcene-15.9%. Estragole and ∆-3-carene, each one in amount ca 8% were identified only in P. ponderosa. The content of essential oils in the needles slightly varied Ð 0.65% Ð P. resinosa, 0.4% Ð P. strobus, 0.3% Ð P. ponderosa. The antifungal activity has been investigated towards Fusarium culmorum, F. solani and F. poae. The strongest activity was observed for the essential oil from P. ponderosa, which fully inhibited the growth of fungi at the following concentrations Ð F. culmorum, F. solani at 2% and F. poae at 5%.

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Kernel images of six wheat species were subjected to shape and color analyses to determine variations in the morphometric parameters of grain. The values of kernel shape descriptors (area, perimeter, Feret diameter, minimal Feret diameter, circularity, aspect ratio, roundness, solidity) and color descriptors (H, S, I and L*a*b*) were investigated. The influence of grain colonization by endophytic fungi on the color of the seed coat was also evaluated. Polish wheat grain was characterized by the highest intraspecific variation in shape and color. Bread wheat was most homogeneous in terms of the studied shape and color descriptors. An analysis of variations in wheat lines revealed greater differences in phenotypic traits of relict wheats, which have a larger gene pool. The grain of ancient wheat species was characterized by low roundness values and relatively low solidity. Shape and color descriptors were strongly discriminating components in the studied wheat species. Their discriminatory power was determined mainly by genotype. A method that supports rapid discrimination of cereal species and admixtures of other cereals in grain batches is required to guarantee the quality and safety of grain. The results of this study indicate that digital image analysis can be effectively used for this purpose.