''Thinopyrum obtusiflorum'' is a species of

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

known by the common names tall wheatgrass, rush wheatgrass, and Eurasian quackgrass. It is native to Eurasia and it has been introduced to many other parts of the world, including much of the Americas and Australia. This perennial bunchgrass can grow up to 2 meters tall. The ribbed leaves have pale green blades a few millimeters wide. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a spike studded with spikelets up to 3 centimeters long, each containing up to 12 flowers.''Thinopyrum ponticum''.
Grass Manual Treatment. This grass is used as a forage and for hay in many places.''Tall wheatgrass''.
USDA NRCS Plant Guide. Retrieved 16 September 2024. It is good for land with saline soils, and it can help reduce the salinity. It is also good for non-saline soils.Tall wheat grass.
Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food. This grass is commonly crossed with its relative,

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, in order to give the wheat traits such as stress tolerance and pest resistance.

Head blight resistance

''Thinopyrum obtusiflorum'' is resistant to ''Fusarium'' head blight, which is caused by ''

Fusarium graminearum ''Gibberella zeae'', also known by the name of its anamorph ''Fusarium graminearum'', is a fungal plant pathogen which causes fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease on wheat and barley. The pathogen is responsible for billions of doll ...

''. This is due, in part, to the ''Fhb7'' gene. The protein product of the ''Fhb7'' gene detoxifies

trichothecenes Trichothecenes constitute a large group of chemically related mycotoxins. They are produced by Fungus, fungi of the genera ''Fusarium'', ''Myrothecium'', ''Trichoderma'', ''Podostroma'', ''Trichothecium'', ''Cephalosporium'', ', ''Stachybotrys'' ...

produced by the fungus, which harm both the plant and any mammals that consume them. Evidence suggests that the ''Fhb7'' gene was acquired from an ''

Epichloë ''Epichloë'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi forming an endophytic symbiosis with grasses. Grass choke disease is a symptom in grasses induced by some ''Epichloë'' species, which form spore-bearing mats (stromata) on tillers and suppress the de ...

'' fungus by

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). HGT is an important factor in the e ...

. The ''Fhb7'' gene has been

introgressed Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the transfer of genetic material from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species. Introg ...

into wheat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q89266158, from2=Q7784631 obtusiflorum