WSU introduces the next step in wheat evolution

A new species of wheat that combines the toughness of a common grass with the nutrient-rich qualities of a grain crop was developed by Washington State University scientists and named after one of its pioneer researchers.

It’s the first new species to be named by wheat breeders at WSU in 122 years of breeding, according to the university.

The new hybrid combines wheat with wheatgrass in a new species that could help Pacific Northwest farmers meet production goals and have the added benefit of implementing ecologically sound farming.

One of the many varieties of the newly developed perennial grain species, Tritipyrum aaseae, is called Salish Blue, which was developed as a potential food and dairy forage crop.

“We have a bunch of different lines or varieties,” said Colin Curwen-McAdams, a graduate research assistant at the WSU Bread Lab at Mount Vernon, Wash. “They are no longer wheat or wheatgrass.”

The new species is named after professor Hannah Aase, an early WSU researcher, botanist and cell biologist who spent years exploring wheat genetics from 1914 to 1949. She died in 1980.

“The work Dr. Aase did was important but largely overlooked,” said Curwen-McAdams. “She was trying to answer the question of where wheat comes from. We wanted to honor her and bring her back to the forefront.”

The latest line is a stable hybrid that can be crossed with other plants of the same species. Unlike wheat, which must be replanted every year, the new crop is a perennial that will continue to grow year after year under the right conditions.

An added benefit of varieties like Salish Blue, is their ability to stabilize soils, which would otherwise – if planted with wheat – require annual tilling and other erosion-causing work. Although types like Salish Blue are stable and self-reliant, they are not meant to replace wheat, but may one day be used as rotation crops, allowing farmers to supplement their incomes with a wheat-like product when a field is not planted with traditional wheat.

Work continues on the development of the latest species in an effort to increase production and wheat-like qualities that could make Tritipyrum aaseae a viable grain crop.

“Still the challenge is to continue breeding for heartiness,” Curwen-McAdams said. “It’s not hearty enough and lacks characteristics (of) wheat” used to make a good-tasting bread.

The high rainfall zones and cooler climates of the Cascade areas are usually reserved for growing vegetables and potatoes, and grain is used as a rotation crop. The new species could fill a niche in those environments.

“It can serve the needs of growers in those areas,” he said.

Because all grain crops up to now, including corn, rice and wheat, are annuals, the development of a perennial grain crop opens the door to new potential, he said.

“These perennials are new and interesting to our agriculture,” he said. “Working in rotation with other crops they provide financial and commercial diversity.”