The Evolution of Wheat - Introduction

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The diagram shows the Evolution of Wheat, from

the prehistoric Stone Age grasses to Spelt,
Durum Wheat and Bread Wheat.
Wild Einkorn hybridised with a Goat Grass at
least 30,000 years ago (30,000 BP) to produce
Wild Emmer. About 10,000 BP this began to be
cultivated by hunter-gatherers so that, over time,
their subconscious plant selection slowly created
Cultivated Emmer with larger grains.
Around 9,000 BP this hybridised with another
Goat Grass to produce an early form of Spelt.
Another similar hybrid occurred about 8,500 BP
but with a mutation that changed the ears from
having the grain enclosed by a hard shell to a
type that was easier to thresh. The huntergatherers would naturally have selected the freethreshing form to collect for food so that,
assisted by this human selection, it slowly
evolved into free-threshing Bread Wheat.

ther information)

Emmer Wheat also mutated and evolved to create

Durum Wheat, now used for making a wide range
of pasta products such as macaroni, spaghetti
and lasagna.