Perennial Wheat

[230gr]

This is still a work in progress but might be something to keep an eye on.


Perennial Wheat
Perennial Version of Wheat-Vigorous Seed Heads Reach up to 3 ft. Tall-Dense Dark Silver Green Foliage
Selection of wheat created by Peters Seed Company using the prairie species called Intermediate Wheat Grass and hybridized it with annual wheat and rye. At first some of the seedlings lived for 2-3 years before giving up. However a few had vigor, survived longer than 7 years and produced  small wheat berries. This new generation is now just starting to show perennial possibilities. We believe this version has hybridized with a perennial prairie selection called 'Oahe' which we grew nearby hoping it would cross pollinate. It worked. Although the yields are low and the seeds are small, it would be worth trying to cross it with regular annual wheat again. Try it. Plant some wheat along side it and let nature takes it course. Height varies from 2-4 ft. The fruiting head can sometimes reach up to 18 inches long making it a nice ornamental grass. The foliage has a nice silver green color. Highly tolerant to drought. Creates a dense sod. Rated high in taste tests compared to regular wheat. 
 
Plant Specs
Genus & Species:
Triticum x hybrid
Seed Source:
Ecos
Hardiness:
-25
Height (ft):
3
Width (ft):
2
- See more at: https://oikostreecrops.com/products/perennials/perennial-wheat/#sthash.4FxRK2YY.dpuf

[TWP]

I like the "perennial" trait.  I would still save some seed in case the crop is lost due to other causes (hard freeze or extreme heat).  The current hybrids still seem to expire in a number of years, but that is much better than truly annual grains which Must be replanted each year.

Definitely something to watch closely as the hybrid continues to be cross bred.   Higher yields would help.

I wonder about the need for fertilizer on multi-year crops.  Given the unavailability of chemical soil amendments, some method must be found to renew the soil without plowing in the perennial crops.

Not needing to plow, till and replant would be a major labor saving, not to mention the lower fuel costs.

[eeyore]

As stated perennial is the key, for the long term.  It would interesting to see how it develops