NyPa Wild Wheat (Distichlis palmeri) is a halophytic perennial crop that has been developed from a grain that the Cocopah Indians once harvested as a major food source in the USA. Having originally being thought of extinct, a massive search was conducted to determine if there were any remaining pockets of this grain producing grass remaining. After some areas had been identified, a breeding program was conducted in the USA to increase grain yields from approximately 5 kg/ha to 2 tonnes/ha. After the breeding program had was completed, seeds were brought into Australia from the USA during the early 1990's.
NyPa Wild Wheat like is similar to NyPa Forage and Turf in growth habit. It is more salt tolerant than the NyPa Forage and Turf, being able to thrive in ocean water. A deep root system that reaches down at least 1.5 m, it is ideally suited to areas saline discharge zones, where it can readily access the saline water, and dry out the soil profile, while producing a valuable grain. The grain that is produced is ideally suited for human consumption, with an amino acid balance that is more favorable than wheat, and it is also gluten free.
A commercial release of NyPa Wild Wheat is sometime away as some additional breeding is required to fine tune the grain for Australian conditions.