Table 4.
Characteristics of some Pooideae grasses and cereals
| Species | Brachypodium distchyon | Lolium perenne | Hordeum vulgare | Secale cereale | Avena sativa | Triticum aestivum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common name | Purple false brome | Perennial ryegrass | Barley | Rye | Oats | Wheat |
| Tribe | Brachypodieae | Poeae | Triticeae | Triticeae | Aveneae | Triticeae |
| Chromosome no. (n) | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Ploidy | 2n | 2n | 2n | 2n | 6n | 6n |
| Approx. genome size (Gb) | 0·35 | 2·3 | 5·5 | 8·1 | 13 | 17 |
| Agronomic status | Uncultivated | Cultivated | domesticated | Domesticated | Domesticated | Domesticated |
| Breeding system | Inbreeder | Outbreeder | Inbreeder | Outbreeder | Inbreeder | Inbreeder |
| Crop* | – | Forage/seed | Grain | Grain/forage | Grain | Grain |
| Life cycle | Annual | Perennial | Annual | Annual/perennial | Annual | Annual |
* Current major application(s) in the UK. Ryegrass also has many amenity uses and grain crops can be used as forages.