Triticum aestivum, the common bread wheat is____________.

🔑 Key Points
→ Wheat, Triticum aestivum, belongs to the family Poaceae with chromosome number 2n=42.
→ It can be hexaploid (21 pairs of chromosomes), tetraploid (14 pairs of chromosomes), or diploid (7 pairs of chromosomes).

🌾 Sub-heading 2
→ Common bread wheat (Triticum aestivum):
It is hexaploid, 2n=42, and mostly grown in India. It occupies about 87% of the wheat area and is suitable for chapati making and bakery products. Introduced by Borlaug from Mexico, it is also called Mexican dwarf wheat and played a significant role in the Green Revolution.

→ Durum/Macaroni wheat (Triticum durum):
It is tetraploid, 2n=28, and used to prepare Suji and Semya. It occupies 12% of wheat area, particularly in Central and Southern India. Common varieties include Jairam and Malavika.

→ Emmer wheat (Triticum diccocum):
It is tetraploid, 2n=28, and occupies about 1% of the wheat area, confined to Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. It is used to make the South Indian dish Uppumav.

→ Diploid species:

Triticum monococcum: 2n=14.
Triticum aegiloploid: 2n=14.