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Wheat species — aestivum vs durum vs dicoccum Photo: Ganesh Mohan T · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗

Wheat species — aestivum vs durum vs dicoccum

Indian wheat is not one species but three. Each has a different chromosome count, end-use, and growing pocket. Knowing the difference helps a farmer pick the right variety for their soil, irrigation and market.

Triticum aestivum — bread wheat

Hexaploid (2n=42), the dominant species in India — about 95 percent of total wheat area. Aestivum gives soft to medium-hard grain, makes good chapatis and bread. Almost all flagship IIWBR/IARI/PAU releases (HD 2967, HD 3086, DBW 222, DBW 303, PBW 725, PBW 1 Zn, HD 3226, WB 02) are bread wheats. Grown across NWPZ (Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Rajasthan), NEPZ (Eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, WB, Odisha), CZ (MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan) and PZ (Maharashtra, Karnataka). Needs 4-6 irrigations; sown October-November; harvested March-April.

Triticum durum — macaroni / pasta wheat

Tetraploid (2n=28), grown on about 4 percent of Indian wheat area, mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan and Maharashtra under restricted irrigation. Durum gives hard, amber, vitreous grain ideal for semolina (rava), pasta and porridge but not for chapati — gluten quality is different. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal varieties: HI 8759 (Pusa Tejas), HI 8663 (Pusa Anmol), HI 8737 (Pusa Anmol), MPO 1215, MPO 1255. Durum tolerates heat better than aestivum; suited to central India where post-anthesis temperatures rise quickly.

Triticum dicoccum — emmer / khapli wheat

Tetraploid (2n=28), an ancient hulled wheat, grown on less than 1 percent of Indian area. Dicoccum — called khapli in Marathi, emmer in English — is grown mainly in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of MP under rainfed or limited-irrigation conditions. Modern releases: DDK 1025, DDK 1029 (UAS Dharwad). It has lower yield but lower glycaemic index and is sold at a premium for diabetic-friendly diets. Khapli wheat fetches Rs 80-120 per kg versus Rs 22-25 for bread wheat at mandis.

How to choose

  • Assured irrigation + bread/chapati market: aestivum
  • Limited irrigation + central India + semolina market: durum
  • Rainfed + premium health-food market + small scale: dicoccum

See also: Wheat crop in Telangana, HD 2967, HD 3086 Pusa Gautami, Conservation agriculture in rice-wheat.

Sources

  1. Compendium of Wheat Varieties Notified in India. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.
  2. Wheat species in India. ICAR-IIWBR Karnal.