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Response of 35 spring wheat varieties and lines (of four Triticum species) to spray inoculation with Fusarium culmorum was evaluated in field experiments over three years (2010-2012). Data on mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) content were complemented by symptom scores and determination of the percentage of Fusarium damaged kernels and percent reduction of thousand grain weight and of grain weight per spike due to infection. Resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) determined on the basis of the five mentioned traits was variable in all the examined genotype groups and very high only in the non-adapted check variety Sumai 3. The common wheat landrace Červená perla, four T. dicoccum genotypes (May Emmer, Weisser Sommer, Tábor, and Rudico), T. spelta (Ruzyně), and the commercially grown bread wheat variety Vánek can be considered as moderately resistant to FHB. DON accumulation was significantly higher in the modern common wheat varieties than in the other Triticum species and common wheat landraces. The latter nonetheless showed similar average reductions in grain weight per spike due to infection as did current spring wheat varieties. It is particularly important that DON content was found to be low and least variable not only in Sumai 3 but also in some T. dicoccum (Rudico and Tábor) and T. spelta (Ruzyně) genotypes. It was documented that FHB-resistant emmer and spelt wheat materials have some outstanding grain-quality parameters (e.g. very high protein content) and can be progressively utilized particularly in breeding wheat for alternative use and growing in organic farming systems. It is important to make substantial progress towards developing resistance in common spring wheat, because most current varieties other than Vánek and Trappe were found to be moderately susceptible or susceptible to FHB.

The quantity and quality of protein and the rheological traits of wheat are crucial for processing flour in the baking industry, but there are few comparisons in the literature between old and modern wheat species. To help fill this gap, the baking quality characterization, gluten content, protein fraction composition, high molecular weight glutenin subunits, and rheological properties of ancient and modern wheat were determined and compared. These varieties were collected by the gene bank of the Crop Research Institute in Prague-Ruzyne and were grown in organically certified research areas in the Czech Republic. Results revealed differences in protein content and composition between varieties with different ploidy levels, as well as differences in development time and stability between einkorn and bread wheat varieties. Based on the proximity of their positions to the parameter quality in the principal components analysis, such as gluten content, gluten index (GI), Zeleny test, stability, dough development time (C1) and gliadin, the baking performances of cultivars were identified.