Wheat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom Information | |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Order Information | |
Order | Poales |
Family Information | |
Family | Poaceae |
Sub-family | Pooideae |
Genus Information | |
Genus | Triticum |
Species Information | |
Species | Triticum L.[1] |
Population statistics |
Wheat is a type of grain that is commonly refined to make flour, and is therefore a leading major crop and provides much of the world's food supply, especially when made into bread or pasta.
Wheat is a member of the grasses (Gramineae), which also include rice, corn, sorghum, millet, barley and sugarcane. In addition to food uses, it can be used in fermenting various types of alcohols, feeding animals, and producing biofuels.
Wheat was cultivated from wild species of grass domesticated and selected by humans, who have depended on wheat for thousands of years. Wheat is believed to have been domesticated in Southwest Asia(Although primitive forms of wheat from around 9000 years ago were found in Iraq), and later spread around the world, being introduced to North America in the 16th century.[2][3]