Wheat wild relatives

Die Gattung Aegilops L. gehört wie Triticum L. zum Tribus Hordecae der Gramineen und steht systematisch wohl zwischen den beiden 
Gattungen Agropyrum und Triticum. Alle Aegilops-Arten sind mit allen Triticum-Arten kreuzbar. 

Wheat wild relatives are an important source of genetic diversity for wheat breeding. Species related to wheat, particularly those in the genera Aegilops and Triticum, contain valuable traits that have often been lost or reduced during domestication and modern breeding. These include resistance to diseases and pests, tolerance to drought, heat and other environmental stresses, and traits related to grain quality and adaptation.

Among the wild relatives, Aegilops species are especially important. Several Aegilops species contributed directly to the evolution of cultivated wheat. For example, Aegilops tauschii is the D-genome donor of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), while other Aegilops species contributed genetic material to tetraploid wheats. Today, Aegilops species remain an important reservoir of genetic diversity that can be used to introduce new traits into wheat.