Figure 3.

Examples of wide hybridization and direct domestication to develop perennial grains. The wild perennial Sorghum halepense (A) was hybridized with the domestic species Sorghum bicolor (B) and selective breeding of the progeny produced lines with intermediate head and seed size (C) and the ability to regrow from underground rhizomes (D). In an example of direct domestication, the mostly wild grass Thinopyrum intermedium can be harvested with conventional equipment (E) and cleaned to obtain a human-edible grain (F) that has properties similar to wheat, as seen in this loaf made with an 80/20 blend of wheat and Th. intermedium flour (G). Domesticated Th. intermedium types now possess domestication traits, such as shatter resistance (H, at right).