Khurasan Wheat
Triticum turgidum turanicum

Family: Poaceae or Gramineae

What it is like

Triticum turgidum turanicum is a ANNUAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1.2

Where it is found

Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.

Europe - Mediterranean to W. Asia - Iran.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Seed - cooked. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making bread, biscuits etc.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc. A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper. 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. The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.

Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.

Starch: Used as a fabric stiffener.

Thatching: Used for making thatched roofs.

How it is grown

Succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. A rather primitive wheat, it probably arose through cultivation about 10,000 years ago following a cross between T. aethiopicum (the first primitive wheat) and Aegilops sp. It is still occasionally cultivated for its edible seed in the Mediterranean and the Near East.

Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days. This sub-species is most commonly sown in the spring, though it is also sometimes sown in the autumn.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

T. turanicum.