What is the future for ancient grains?
Ancient grains—such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, quinoa, and amaranth—are enjoying renewed interest for their rich history, nutritional benefits, and potential role in sustainable farming. Once staples of early agriculture, these grains offer diverse flavors, higher nutrient density, and genetic traits that could strengthen modern wheat and farming systems. With ongoing research, breeding innovations, and growing consumer awareness, ancient grains may soon shift from niche specialty crops to mainstream staples that support both health and climate-resilient agriculture.
As global consumers grow increasingly conscious of health, sustainability, and food diversity, interest in ancient grains has risen sharply. These grains, once staples in early agriculture, are experiencing a renaissance among health-conscious eaters, artisanal bakers, and sustainable agriculture advocates. While often grouped together in the marketplace under the umbrella of “ancient grains,” these crops include a diverse set of species with distinct botanical, agronomic, and nutritional characteristics. Understanding their origins, potential uses, and future prospects is crucial as researchers and farmers work to integrate them into modern agricultural systems.
What are ancient grains?
The term ancient grains typically refers to cereal and pseudocereal species that have remained largely unchanged by modern breeding practices. Traditionally, this includes wheat relatives such as spelt (Triticum spelta L.), emmer (Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccon), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.). These grains are classified as “covered” wheats because their hulls remain tightly attached to the kernel after harvest, requiring mechanical or manual processing before consumption, unlike modern wheat, which is “free-threshing.”
In addition to these true wheats, the term has been broadened by marketers to encompass several pseudocereals and lesser-known grains including quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), amaranth (Amaranthus spp. L.), teff (Eragrostis tef [Zucc.] trotter), millet (various genera such as Panicum, Setaria, Digitaria, and Echinochloa), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). While these species are not botanically related to wheat, they are included because of their ancient use in human diets, nutritional richness, and traditional cultivation systems.
Historical context and domestication
The story of ancient grains begins thousands of years ago when early agricultural societies began domesticating wild grasses. Evidence suggests that hunter-gatherers first harvested wild relatives of these grains before selecting for traits like non-shattering heads (where seeds remain attached to the plant) and ease of threshing. Over time, such traits became genetically fixed in cultivated varieties.
Einkorn, one of the earliest domesticated wheat species, was grown in the Fertile Crescent over 10,000 years ago and likely represents one of the first steps in the agricultural revolution. Emmer followed closely and became a staple in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Spelt, a more recent hybridization between emmer and goatgrass, became widespread in Europe during the Bronze Age and was a common grain until it was gradually displaced by modern bread wheat.
Ancient wheat species differ in their ploidy and genome composition:
Einkorn is diploid (2n = 14), containing the A genome.
Emmer is tetraploid (2n = 28), with the A and B genomes, like modern durum wheat.
Spelt is hexaploid (2n = 42), carrying the A, B, and D genomes, the same as common bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
All three are self-pollinating species and require dehulling before consumption. Their genetic similarities to modern wheat also present opportunities for breeding and genetic improvement.
Beyond gluten content, ancient grains are rich in dietary fiber, protein, and essential micronutrients. They have been reported to contain elevated levels of phosphorus, potassium, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), beta-carotene, and unsaturated fats, all contributing to their superior nutritional profile (Stallknecht et al., 1996). Notably, emmer wheat has shown promising antihyperglycemic and antioxidant properties, making it a potential functional food for managing type 2 diabetes (Christopher et al., 2018).
The flavor of ancient grains is often described as richer and more complex than that of modern wheat with nutty or earthy undertones. This makes them highly attractive for artisan baking, whole grain dishes, and specialty food products.
Breeding and agronomic development
Despite their appeal, ancient grains face significant agronomic challenges that limit their scalability. Most varieties are spring types, meaning they are planted in spring and harvested in late summer. For regions with cold winters, converting these to winter-hardy types would greatly expand their geographic range and improve yields. Another major breeding goal is to develop free-threshing forms of these grains to reduce processing costs, labor, and loss of grain quality caused by dehulling.
In our Cornell Small Grains research program, we are working on converting ancient wheats into winter-hardy, free-threshing lines suitable for organic and low-input farming systems. This includes introgression of desirable traits from sources of winter hardiness and free-threshing germplasm while maintaining the nutritional integrity of the ancient genomes.
Dr. Friedrich Longin at the University of Hohenheim has led significant efforts in reintroducing ancient grains into modern agriculture. His breeding work focuses on adapting ancient varieties to contemporary cultivation needs while preserving their unique qualities (University of Hohenheim, 2022).
Moreover, spelt has shown potential in wheat improvement programs, particularly for enhancing yield-related traits and stress tolerance in bread wheat (Xie et al., 2015). Such cross-utilization could also offer avenues for increasing the genetic diversity of modern wheat, which has narrowed significantly over decades of breeding for uniformity and yield. A free-threshing spelt variety, Elwha River, was developed by Dr. Kevin Murphy at Washington State University by backcrossing the free-threshing trait from wheat into spelt.
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