Ancient Wheats [E-Book]

Chapter. 1. Introduction -- Chapter. 2. Domestication and Evolution of Ancient Wheats -- Chapter. 3. Origin, Taxonomy and Distribution of Ancient Wheats in Turkey -- Chapter. 4. Genetic Diversity in Ancient Wheats -- Chapter. 5. Conservation Strategies -- Chapter. 6. Chemical Composition of Einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum), Emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and Spelt (Triticum spelta) -- Chapter. 7. Nutritional and Technological Aspects of Ancient Wheat -- Chapter. 8. From hologenomes to biofertilizers in wheat production -- Chapter. 9. Wild relatives and their contributions to wheat breeding -- Chapter. 10. Socio-economic evaluation of einkorn wheat production.

Wheat (Triticum L.), an annual herbaceous plant in Poacae (Gramineae) family, settles in the Triticeae (Hordeae) subfamily. The grasses (Poaceae Barnhart) are the fifth largest (monocotyledonous flowering) plant family and of great importance for human civilization and life. Cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, barley, and millet are the domesticated ones in the family. It is still the most vital economical plant family in modern times, providing food, forage, building materials (bamboo, thatch), and fuel (ethanol). Wheat has many accessions in national and international gene banks. The estimated number of wheats by FAO in 2010 is 856,000, and, followed by rice (774,000), and barley (467,000). However, the recent consumer's (misdirected) focus on gluten content and nutritional value urges scientists to reexamine their knowledge about wheat (i.e., origin, evolution, and general and special quality characteristics), as well as their wild relatives and landraces for newer possible genetic resources. Cultured or non-cultured ancestral wheats: einkorn, emmer, wild emmer, spelt, macha, and vavilovii are still limitedly grown on the higher areas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Israel, and Balkan countries. They are exploited mostly for their desired agronomic, and specific quality. In some cultures, wheat species are believed to be therapeutic, with bioactive compounds that reduce and inhibit stubborn illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer, and cardiovascular diseases. In this book, we summarize the importance of ancestral wheat species, and provide a prospect for their future with special considerations in terms of species conservation and improvement. .