ANCIENT GRAINS - Canadian Organic Growers

However, the ‘breadbasket’ is getting a little
more crowded (or at least older) as our
common wheat is sharing supermarket
shelves with its ancestors. Often and affectionately
referred to as ‘ancient grains’—these wild predecessors
of wheat are staging a revival of sorts that is
creating opportunities for organic farmers. Consumer
interests in whole foods and heritage varieties,
combined with consumer awareness of food
sensitivities, has led spelt, kamut, emmer and einkorn
to appear in our diets and in organic farmers’ crop
rotations.
Take a brief look into the genetics and breeding
of wheat and you will soon realize that it is a little
more complicated than most of our domesticated
species. Some wheat species occur as stable polyploids
having more than two sets of diploid chromosomes.
Einkorn wheat is a diploid, while emmer and durum
are tetraploids, suggesting a hybridization of two wild
grasses long before domestication. Lastly, our common
wheat and spelt are hexaploids, suggesting that,
long ago, emmer or durum must have hybridized
with another wild grass to create the six chromosome
sets. For the past century, North American society
has focused on main wheat types—pasta
(durum) and the bread wheats—however a revival
in whole grains is encouraging
consumers to expand their tastes.
Einkorn (Triticum
monococcum)
Einkorn, along with emmer and spelt,
is often referred to as a ‘covered wheat’
as the kernels do not thresh free of the
chaff when harvested. Historically,
einkorn was cultivated on marginal agricultural
land. Even today, einkorn is
commonly grown on poor soils yet still
16 – Winter 2007
ANCIENT GRAINS
A WHEAT BY ANY OTHER NAME
By Av Singh
Despite Dr. Atkins’ efforts, Canadians still love their breads, pastries, and pastas—
keeping wheat as the most common grain consumed in North America.
The Canadian Organic Grower
produces protein levels (12 to 13.5%) equal to or
higher than that of barley. Growing einkorn is comparable
to growing spring grains with einkorn maturing
later than spring wheat. The majority of
einkorn is produced in more arid climates and it is
suggested that einkorn would be susceptible to lodging
in high moisture conditions. As a result of being
primarily produced in lower moisture environments,
einkorn’s disease susceptibility is unknown. Einkorn
is considered a relict crop that is planted sporadically
in some marginalized lands around the Mediterranean
and is often used in the making of bulgur.
Emmer (T. dicoccon)
The use of emmer as porridge dates back to the earliest
of civilizations but, unlike einkorn, emmer production
was more widespread ranging from regions
with relatively short growing seasons to those having
high temperatures in the growing season. Agronomic
practices for emmer would be similar to those
of oats with seeding rates ranging from 75 kg/ha (67
lb/ac.) in dryland cropping to 100 kg/ha (90 lb/ac.) in
high rainfall regions. In recent trials, emmer yields
exceeded those of barley, wheat and oats in years with
less than favourable growing conditions. As with
einkorn, data suggest that emmer and perhaps many
other traditional species are more robust than their
more domesticated descendents in that they can better
scavenge nutrients in resource-limited conditions.
At present, the production and marketing of
emmer grain is quite limited and it is often relegated
as a feed substitute for livestock. Despite having protein
levels 5–35% higher than oats or barley, initial
milling and baking studies indicated that bread quality
was not equal to breads made of common wheat.
Similar to einkorn, certain select artisan bakeries
highlighting ancient grains are using emmer as a
feature in their multigrain breads.
www.cog.ca

Marc Loiselle combining organic Red Fife wheat on his farm
near Vonda, Saskatchewan.
Spelt (T. aestivum spelta)
Spelt is by far is the most
common of the hulled
wheats. There are both
spring and winter spelt
cultivars, with winter seeding
more common for organic
farmers. Despite the
obvious comparisons with
winter wheat, spelt has only
moderate nitrogen requirements
(25–50% lower)
making it an even better fit
for organic systems. Spelt
has a variable seeding rate ranging
from 130 to 200 kg/ha (116–
180 lb/ac.) depending on
weediness and available moisture.
It is sown at or near the same time
as winter wheat. Spelt is sown
slightly deeper (at a depth of 3 cm
or just over an inch) than wheat
allowing a dense root system to develop,
thus preventing any opportunity
for heaving during
freeze-thaw cycles.
Harvesting of spelt may be 8
to 10 days before winter wheat
and it is usually combined with
great care in order to avoid
dehulling. Spelt straw is brittle,
but of high quality and high
quantity. It is very desirable as
mulch or for bedding. With the
early harvest, many organic farmers
can underseed red clover into
spelt early in spring or use catch
crops like buckwheat or oilseed
radish following harvest.
Advances in spelt breeding are
generating new varieties often selected
for disease hardiness. Common
spelt is susceptible to leaf
rust, fusarium, powdery mildew
and loose smut. In cool moist
springs, spelt may have an advantage
over other grains in terms of
staving off soil-borne diseases because
of its thick hull.
Initially, Canadian spelt was
exported for the European market,
however renewed interest has
led spelt flour to be substituted for
wheat flour in many products. People
with allergies to wheat starch
commonly report that spelt is
easier to digest, however for people
with gluten allergies (celiac
disease), spelt will be no different
than wheat.
Kamut (T. durum)
The origin of Kamut is somewhat
confusing and its anecdotal arrival
to North America would make
good fiction. The very name
kamut is in fact a registered trademark
of Kamut International, and
is based upon the Egyptian word
for durum wheat.
Regardless of its origin or history,
kamut is making a foothold
in the organic grain market.
Kamut kernels are twice the size
of wheat kernels and are characterized
by a hump shape, but it is
best known for its distinctive nutty,
buttery flavour. Agronomic practices
for producing kamut would
be similar to those of durum or
hard red spring wheat. Unlike
other ancient grains, a contract
guaranteeing organic production
is required to grow kamut. Like all
of the other alternative wheats,
kamut will outyield other spring
wheats when environmental
stresses are experienced during
the growing season and will have
equal to or slightly lower yields in
ideal growing conditions. Kamut
is a tall growing (130 cm / 50 in.)
wheat species generating an excellent
quality straw.
Traditional wheat species
Growing alternative grains may
not be suitable for all organic
farmers especially those not familiar
with cereal production.
The primary benefits of alternative
grains are to capture a niche
market and to grow a competitive
crop that can perform well
under less than ideal growing
conditions. However, there are
challenges such as susceptibility
to disease, variance in yields and
protein content, extra costs associated
with dehulling, and
sourcing markets.
www.cog.ca The Canadian Organic Grower
Winter 2007 – 17

Spring wheat (T. aestivum)
There are several classes of spring
wheat, namely: durum, hard red,
hard white and soft white.
• Durum has large, very hard,
translucent kernels. The
endosperm is used to make semolina
flour for products such as
pasta and couscous.
Hard red spring (HRS) wheat
kernels are brownish in colour and
high in protein (gluten) which
leads to good bread baking.
Hard white wheat has moderate
protein levels and is typically
grown in more arid conditions. Its
flour is used in bread, especially
flatbreads, such as tortillas and
pitas.
Soft white wheat grows well in
more temperate climates and its
low protein content makes its flour
ideal for pastries.
Spring wheat works well in organic
rotations because of its competitiveness
with weeds and
because of its value as a cash crop.
Generally, spring wheat is seeded
at 100–160 kg/ha (89–143 lb/ac.)
at a depth of 5–8 cm (2–3 in.) having
only moderate nutrient demands.
Winter wheat (T. aestivum)
The majority of organic wheat
grown in Canada is spring wheat,
but many organic farmers work
winter wheat into their rotations
quite well. Winter wheat is grown
over a wide range of environments
(similar to those of spelt) and is
used primarily for flour with
moderate to high protein levels.
Winter wheat is considered a
heavy feeder in terms of nutrients
and therefore it works well after a
late summer plowdown of a hay
or clover crop. Similar to spelt,
winter wheat seeding rates are
quite variable depending on soil
18 – Winter 2007
Doug Brown of Oak Haven Bakery in Annapolis County, Nova
Scotia, specializes in naturally-leavened breads made from
organic spelt and kamut flour.
moisture and date of seeding—
increased rates where more moisture
is available and when seeding
is done later in fall. Winter wheat,
like spelt, is harvested in mid-summer
allowing for a catch crop, like
oilseed radish, to be planted after
the wheat harvest. Winter wheat
produces a high quality straw that,
if not used for livestock, can be
disked into the top 10–15 cm (4–
6 in.) of the soil along with manure
followed by the seeding of
the catch crop.
Conclusions
The greatest benefits in growing
the more common wheat species
are having disease-resistant
varieties available; a certified
weed-free seed source; established
markets; and tried and tested agronomic
practices.
Organic farmers are constantly
looking for new niche markets to
capture the ever-changing health
trends of consumers. Renewed in-
The Canadian Organic Grower
terest in whole grain breads, coupled
with sensitivities to common
breads, has launched another level
of value-added crops to an organic
farmer’s rotation. The alternative
wheat species have distinctive characteristics
that will attract artisan
bakers and consumers, and they
feature a robustness and resilience
in their growth ability that separates
them from our common
wheat.
Av Singh, PhD, PAg, is the Organic
and Rural Infrastructure Specialist
with AgraPoint Inc. in Nova Scotia
and is available for comment or
question at 902-896-0277 or at
a.singh@agrapoint.ca.
Photo credits: Brenda Frick and
Janet Wallace.
Line drawings by Sylvia Welke.
www.cog.ca