| Summary: | Wild common wheat species represent a significant pool of resistance genes to various environmental stresses. In this study, we examined several physiological traits and the activity of three antioxidant enzymes—namely, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)—as well as the expression patterns of their encoding genes in three neglected <i>Aegilops</i> species with alien genomes (including <i>Ae. triuncialis</i> (UUCC-genome), <i>Ae. neglecta</i> (UUMM-genome) and <i>Ae. umbellulata</i> (UU-genome)) under two control (0 mM NaCl) and salinity (250 mM NaCl) conditions. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed highly significant effects of salinity stress, accessions, and their interaction on most physio-biochemical traits, root and shoot dry biomasses, and antioxidant-related gene expression level. As a result of comparison between <i>Aegilops</i> species and a bread wheat cultivar (cv. Narin as a salt-tolerant reference variety), <i>Ae. triuncialis</i> responded well to salinity stress, maintaining both ionic homeostasis capability and biochemical ability. Moreover, transcriptional data revealed the prominence of <i>Ae. triuncialis</i> over other <i>Aegilops</i> species and salt-tolerant bread wheat [cv. Narin] in terms of the level of expression of antioxidant genes (<i>APX</i>, <i>SOD</i>, and <i>CAT</i>). This result was further supported by a biplot rendered based on principal component analysis (PCA), where this wild relative showed a positive association with most measured traits under salinity stress. Moreover, we speculate that this accession can be subjected to physiological and molecular studies, and that it can provide new insights into the use of the alien genomes in future wheat breeding programs.
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