Triticum turgidum dicoccon
| Triticum turgidum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Triticum turgidum dicoccon (common name: emmer)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days[K].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. Succeeds in poor rocky[1] and in dry soils[2].
One of the oldest cultivated wheats, it arose over 10,000 years ago through cultivation of the wild emmer, T. dicoccoides. Its cultivation is declining but it is still grown in some mountainous regions of Europe[3][4][1][5]. There are some named varieties[3]. A rather low yielding species compared to modern cultivars.
It is believed that a cross between this species and Aegilops squarrosa, probably about 8,000 years ago, introduced an extra protein gene into the seed making a much stronger flour for baking as bread. Most modern species and cultivars of wheat have been developed from this cross.
A tetraploid species[6].
Range: Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat: Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Seed - cooked[3][7][8]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making bread, biscuits etc[5]. The seed retains its glumes when it is threshed[4][1]
Usage: The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[9].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[10]. The stems are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in lye or soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper[10].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[3][7]. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.