Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) was the first domesticated wheat species, and was central to the birth of agriculture and the Neolithic Revolution in the Fertile Crescent around 10,000 years ago. In new research, scientists generated and analyzed genome assemblies for both the wild and domesticated variety of einkorn. Their results show that around 1% of the modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) A subgenome originates from einkorn.
Einkorn was the first wheat species that humans domesticated around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, a region in the Near East that is often referred to as the Cradle of Civilization.
Wild einkorn was an ingredient of the oldest known bread-like products, baked by hunter-gatherers in modern-day Jordan four millennia before the dawn of agriculture.
Einkorn had a pivotal role in the establishment of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent and it is the only diploid (presence of two complete sets of chromosomes in a cell) wheat species of which both wild and domesticated forms exist.
A noticeable difference between wild and domesticated einkorn is the grain dispersal system.
Wild einkorn has a fragile rachis that facilitates seed dispersal, whereas the rachis in domesticated einkorn is non-brittle.
“Einkorn is still consumed today, cherished for its unique flavor profile and numerous nutritional benefits,” said first author Dr. Hanin Ahmed, a researcher at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
“However, its significance in global food production over the millennia has gradually declined as the popularity of bread wheat soared.”
“Bread wheat varieties generally produce higher yields, making them more economically viable for large-scale commercial agriculture.”
“Yet, compared to its wild cousins, modern bread wheat has a reduced genetic diversity — and many breeders are now concerned about how existing crops will fare in the face of climate change and new disease threats.”
“Because einkorn has…
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