Wheat

This article is about the plant. For other uses, see Wheat (disambiguation).

Wheat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Tribe: Triticeae
Genus: Triticum
L.[1]
Type species
Triticum aestivum
Species[2]
List of Triticum species:

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a staple food around the world. The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum (/ˈtrɪtɪkəm/);[3] the most widely grown is common wheat (T. aestivum). The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BC. Botanically, the wheat kernel is a caryopsis, a type of fruit.

Wheat is grown on a larger area of land than any other food crop (220.7 million hectares or 545 million acres in 2021). World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. In 2021, world wheat production was 771 million tonnes (850 million short tons), making it the second most-produced cereal after maize (known as corn in North America and Australia; wheat is often called corn in countries including Britain).[4] Since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st century. Global demand for wheat is increasing because of the usefulness of gluten to the food industry.

Wheat is an important source of carbohydrates. Globally, it is the leading source of vegetable proteins in human food, having a protein content of about 13%, which is relatively high compared to other major cereals but relatively low in protein quality (supplying essential amino acids). When eaten as the whole grain, wheat is a source of multiple nutrients and dietary fiber. In a small part of the general population, gluten – which comprises most of the protein in wheat – can trigger coeliac disease, noncoeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis.

  1. ^ lectotype designated by Duistermaat, Blumea 32: 174 (1987)
  2. ^ Serial No. 42236 ITIS 2002-09-22
  3. ^ "triticum". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  4. ^ Mencken, H. L. (1984). The American language : an inquiry into the development of English in the United States (4th ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 122. ISBN 0394400755. Corn, in orthodox English, means grain for human consumption, especially wheat, e.g., the Corn Laws.