Return of Ancient Wheats, Emmer and Einkorn, a Pesticide-Free Alternative for a More Sustainable Agriculture—A Summary of a Comprehensive Analysis from Central Europe

Bencze, Szilvia and Bakos, Ferenc and Mikó, Péter and Földi, Mihály and Lacko-Bartošová, Magdaléna and Setiawan, Nuri Nurlaila and Fekete, Anna Katalin and Drexler, Dóra (2025) Return of Ancient Wheats, Emmer and Einkorn, a Pesticide-Free Alternative for a More Sustainable Agriculture—A Summary of a Comprehensive Analysis from Central Europe. SUSTAINABILITY, 17 (22). No. 10088. ISSN 2071-1050

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Abstract

Conventional agriculture, focusing on productivity rather than sustainability, have long abandoned hulled wheats. With them not only striking genetic diversity but valuable, health-promoting food sources became lost. Although einkorn and emmer—two of the most ancient wheat species—are generally considered good candidates of sustainable agriculture especially for pesticide-free cropping, they have remained largely unrecognized. To assess their agronomic potential in comparison with modern wheats grown under the same conditions, comprehensive research was conducted, combining multi-location participatory on-farm and small-plot trials. Our findings confirmed that most landraces of emmer and einkorn exhibited strong weed suppression ability, making them suitable for organic cultivation, and effective resistance against diseases—including Fusarium spp. and associated deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin accumulation. Both species were entirely avoided by cereal leaf beetles (Oulema spp.) and had, on average, 2.6% more grain protein content than common wheat. Although they command significantly higher market prices, their (hulled) yields were comparable to modern wheat only in extreme years or at sites typically producing 3–5 t/ha of wheat. Nevertheless, the cultivation of emmer and einkorn presents a more sustainable "sow-and-harvest" alternative, free from pesticide and mycotoxin residue risks, while also enhances biodiversity from the field to the table.

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