Polyploidy of bread wheat took place over a course of around 10,000 years. The domestication and subsequent hybridizations into newer cultivars took place very slowly indeed. You can cross rye and wheat to make Secale although it is highly unlikely that an alloploid will be used as a major food source since the progenitors of modern bread wheat were grasses with slender seeds having very little grain weight and nutrition compared with our standard food crops. You need enough protein and carbohydrate in a plant seed to make it fit for consumption.

Zaeema,

Thank you! Despite the fact of old hybridization of bread wheat ancestors it is possible to recreate alloploid genomes like triticale, artificial Brassica napus, etc., and use them in breeding programs. I wonder if anybody had successful polyploidisation of barley, rice, and other diploid species, or it works for cyclic poly-(allo-)ploids only? All references that I found were not clear enough. 

@ Alex,

For your last post, "I wonder if anybody had successful polyploidisation of barley, rice, and other diploid species?":

It seems like that rice has been successfully allopolypolidized. Check out this 2014 paper:

"An efficient method of developing synthetic allopolyploid rice (Oryza spp.)"

Abstract

Allopolyploid rice is an important genetic resource for biology research and rice breeding. However, it is difficult to obtain allopolyploid rice in both natural and artificial conditions. We have established an efficient technology, development of synthetic allopolyploid rice, for obtaining allopolyploid rice based on a wild cross, embryo rescue and in vitro colchicine treatment. Fourteen typological allopolyploid rice lines among 6 interspecies and 7 different genomes have been developed using this technology. It will enable the development of new rice germplasms with the potential to double yields and enrich varieties.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10722-013-0075-0

Yuan-Yeu,

Thank you a lot!

I feel each crop will have its own problems so not sure finding a new crop is the answer. My opinion is to improve the crops we have on hand rather than look for new. We developed Triticale and it remained a minor crop even in spite of the advantages. 

Kulvinder, Thank you!

New crop plants appear when farmers move to new areas or meet climate changes, at least it was so in past. Unfortunately, here, in Russia, we can expect to see soon the most dramatical changes of agricultural practice during last hundreds years. Triticale and tetraploid barley were not very attractive for farmers, but they had very limited area of trials or production. New alloploid brassicas like ‘Hakuran’ has some traits that can be demanded in extreme conditions. I am trying to estimate the need in common crop polyploidization with aim to enhance their tolerance to environmental stresses and diseases. Disadvantage of polyploids/alloploids in more conservative phenotype - selection of useful mutations goes slower.

@ Alex,

Disadvantage of polyploids/allopolyploids breeding is not only selection of useful mutations are slower, the use of modern technologies such as whole genome sequencing on them are also difficult. I read that so far only potato has been sequenced (if out dated, please let me know). For transgenic breeding, the large genome (such as in wheat) is also notorious for genetic transformation, a pain in the neck. It will take a lot of patience for breeding of them.

@  Kulvinder,

In your opinion, what is the #1 reason (and also what other reasons) Triticale remains a minor crop? Is that due to consumers' custom to a special staple food? Such as bread, pasta or rice. If consumer don't buy it, the growers won't plant it, then it will remain as a minor crop. In my opinion, it is hard to change a person's habit to use a specific staple food.

Quinoa is the emerging crop through out the world. It has got good nutrient contents are more than any cereal. It is a pseudocereal, similar in some respects to buckwheat, rather than a true cereal, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach and tumbleweeds. As a member of the Amaranthaceae family, it is related to and resembles amaranth, which is also a pseudocereal. After harvest, the seeds must be processed to remove the coating containing the bitter-tasting saponins. The seeds are in general cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes. The leaves are eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2013 to be the International Year of Quinoa.

Here in the Philippiones, the government is promoting Job's tears (Coix-lacryma jobi) as a rice substitute. 

@ Sandy,

I am interesting to know that what are the reasons behind the government's policy to promote Job's tears as a rice substitute in Philippines? Is that because of the land use? or the nutrients of Job's tears? or to help and benefit the farmers who grow job's tears?

Quinoa, @ Nitin, here in the U.S. is hailed as a wholesome food or 'super food' during the past few years due to its richness in proteins and other nutrients (see attachment). However, I have not seen them been used as a main dish on table to replace bread, rice or others. But I do see them often used as salad at salad bars in the restaurants (see attached pictures). Most quinoa here is reported imported from South American. Quinoa is not widely grown here yet due to some  environment factors such as temperature, rain, and the problem of removing the saponin (compounds that deter pests, but makes uncleaned seeds all but inedible to people) [http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/11/29/166155875/quinoa-craze-inspires-north-america-to-start-growing-its-own]. Besides, breed better quinoa needs germplasms, the lack of germplasms hamper the production of elite varieties for famers to grow. Due to IP protection, fight for germplasms' has ignited between Southern American counties (Bolivia) and the U.S. breeders. So I believe that there will be still a long way to go before seeing Quinoa is used as a major food in the U.S. [http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2014/06/12/quinoa-growing-popularity-sparks-battle-between-us-researchers-bolivian-farmers/].