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Amber Waves

Amber Waves BOOK REVIEWS KIRSTIN MILKS & FRANK BROWN CLOUD, DEPARTMENT EDITORS I was expecting the story of wheat to in soy sauce and gravies. Our dependence be like the treatment of corn in The Omni- on wheat for such a large part of our food supply has positioned it to play an impor- vore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Instead, tant role during wartime. During World the author focused so much more on the Wars I and II, the United States played a biological concepts that connected to the key role in supplying wheat to the rest of evolution of wheat “from wild grass to the world. Farm income in the United States world megacrop.” No one knows for sure rose by 150% during World War II. Efforts how agriculture started or where, but the to control the production and transporta- Fertile Crescent region in the Middle East tion of wheat during wartime have been is thought to be the location of the first in evidence again during the current war agricultural communities. Ten thousand in Ukraine, a leading producer of wheat, years ago, this area sported fertile soil and as Russia tries to limit the export of wheat adequate precipitation among river valleys, from Ukraine to other countries. both good growing conditions for wheat. From an educator’s viewpoint, one of There is evidence that humans there har- the most interesting aspects of this book vested wild grass seed, the ancestors of was the application of biological concepts today’s modern wheat, removing the tough to wheat. The author explains photosynthe- outer husk to get at the seeds, which were sis, functions of DNA, evolution, genetics, then chewed raw. From these seeds, humans and more, continuously making real-world cultivated some of the earliest known spe- connections to wheat. In fact, Zabinski links cies of wheat: einkorn, emmer, and spelt. nearly every concept in a general biology (Interestingly for biology educators, these class to the evolution of wheat, from its exis- Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biogra- species represent different levels of poly- tence as a wild grass to its current status as phy of Wheat from Wild Grass to World ploidy—diploidy, tetraploidy, and hexa- a vitally important crop for the human spe- Megacrop. By Catherine Zabinski. 2020. ploidy—which resulted in variation of their cies. The concepts are explained in language The University of Chicago Press. (ISBN-13: traits.) As humans became more mobile, that would be accessible to a person with a 978-0-226-82005-7). Paperback. 246 pp. they took their wheat seeds with them. high school reading level. I could envision a $17.00. Since some species were better adapted than student encountering several passages while I was excited to read about the biog- others to specific growing conditions, differ- reading this book that turn into those won- raphy of wheat. I may be in the minority, ent regions saw the rise of different species derful moments when “the light bulb goes but it’s true! Wheat and my family history of wheat. Artificial selection pushed wheat on.” Sometimes it seemed like the book were intertwined for more than a century. toward more productivity, loss of the tough was less about wheat specifically and more My great grandparents immigrated from husks of its ancestors, and greater tolerance about biological concepts, but this may Germany and established a farm in Kansas for challenging growing conditions, as well appeal to readers not particularly interested in the 1800s. My grandparents and uncles as a loss of genetic diversity. in wheat. This book will almost certainly continued working the farm and grow- Wheat has characteristics that destined help you gain a greater appreciation for this ing wheat until the business went the way it to be an important plant species for the grain that has become almost indispensable of most family farms several years ago. All human population: it has large seeds packed in the human diet. of this is to say that I grew up surrounded with nutrients and can easily be stored and by talk of wheat: When to plant? When to transported. Cultures around the world harvest? What is the current market price? have created ways to use wheat in delightful Debbie Meinholdt, biology teacher Which fields should lay fallow this year? foods such as flaky croissants, toasty bagels, Fairfax County Public Schools And of course, how much rain is in the baklava, steaming naan bread, all kinds of Alexandria, VA 22310 forecast? pasta, and more. Wheat can even be found djmeinholdt@fcps.edu The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 85, No. 5, pp. 292–294, ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211. © 2023 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Reprints and Permissions web page, https://www. ucpress.edu/journals/reprints-permissions. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2023.85.5.292 292 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER VOLUME 85, NO. 5, MAY 2023 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The American Biology Teacher University of California Press

Amber Waves

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Publisher
University of California Press
Copyright
© 2023 by The Regents of the University of California
ISSN
0002-7685
eISSN
1938-4211
DOI
10.1525/abt.2023.85.5.292
Publisher site
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Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS KIRSTIN MILKS & FRANK BROWN CLOUD, DEPARTMENT EDITORS I was expecting the story of wheat to in soy sauce and gravies. Our dependence be like the treatment of corn in The Omni- on wheat for such a large part of our food supply has positioned it to play an impor- vore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Instead, tant role during wartime. During World the author focused so much more on the Wars I and II, the United States played a biological concepts that connected to the key role in supplying wheat to the rest of evolution of wheat “from wild grass to the world. Farm income in the United States world megacrop.” No one knows for sure rose by 150% during World War II. Efforts how agriculture started or where, but the to control the production and transporta- Fertile Crescent region in the Middle East tion of wheat during wartime have been is thought to be the location of the first in evidence again during the current war agricultural communities. Ten thousand in Ukraine, a leading producer of wheat, years ago, this area sported fertile soil and as Russia tries to limit the export of wheat adequate precipitation among river valleys, from Ukraine to other countries. both good growing conditions for wheat. From an educator’s viewpoint, one of There is evidence that humans there har- the most interesting aspects of this book vested wild grass seed, the ancestors of was the application of biological concepts today’s modern wheat, removing the tough to wheat. The author explains photosynthe- outer husk to get at the seeds, which were sis, functions of DNA, evolution, genetics, then chewed raw. From these seeds, humans and more, continuously making real-world cultivated some of the earliest known spe- connections to wheat. In fact, Zabinski links cies of wheat: einkorn, emmer, and spelt. nearly every concept in a general biology (Interestingly for biology educators, these class to the evolution of wheat, from its exis- Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biogra- species represent different levels of poly- tence as a wild grass to its current status as phy of Wheat from Wild Grass to World ploidy—diploidy, tetraploidy, and hexa- a vitally important crop for the human spe- Megacrop. By Catherine Zabinski. 2020. ploidy—which resulted in variation of their cies. The concepts are explained in language The University of Chicago Press. (ISBN-13: traits.) As humans became more mobile, that would be accessible to a person with a 978-0-226-82005-7). Paperback. 246 pp. they took their wheat seeds with them. high school reading level. I could envision a $17.00. Since some species were better adapted than student encountering several passages while I was excited to read about the biog- others to specific growing conditions, differ- reading this book that turn into those won- raphy of wheat. I may be in the minority, ent regions saw the rise of different species derful moments when “the light bulb goes but it’s true! Wheat and my family history of wheat. Artificial selection pushed wheat on.” Sometimes it seemed like the book were intertwined for more than a century. toward more productivity, loss of the tough was less about wheat specifically and more My great grandparents immigrated from husks of its ancestors, and greater tolerance about biological concepts, but this may Germany and established a farm in Kansas for challenging growing conditions, as well appeal to readers not particularly interested in the 1800s. My grandparents and uncles as a loss of genetic diversity. in wheat. This book will almost certainly continued working the farm and grow- Wheat has characteristics that destined help you gain a greater appreciation for this ing wheat until the business went the way it to be an important plant species for the grain that has become almost indispensable of most family farms several years ago. All human population: it has large seeds packed in the human diet. of this is to say that I grew up surrounded with nutrients and can easily be stored and by talk of wheat: When to plant? When to transported. Cultures around the world harvest? What is the current market price? have created ways to use wheat in delightful Debbie Meinholdt, biology teacher Which fields should lay fallow this year? foods such as flaky croissants, toasty bagels, Fairfax County Public Schools And of course, how much rain is in the baklava, steaming naan bread, all kinds of Alexandria, VA 22310 forecast? pasta, and more. Wheat can even be found djmeinholdt@fcps.edu The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 85, No. 5, pp. 292–294, ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211. © 2023 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Reprints and Permissions web page, https://www. ucpress.edu/journals/reprints-permissions. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2023.85.5.292 292 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER VOLUME 85, NO. 5, MAY 2023

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The American Biology Teacher – University of California Press

Published: May 1, 2023

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