OriginofRiverwheatCereals are a cornerstone of European agriculture,cultureanddiets.Amongthem,Rivetwheat(Triticumturgidum) - also named Poulard, Cone or Englishwheat - is a free-threshing tetraploid cereal, whichdifferentiatedthroughouttheNeolithicerafromotherdescendants of domesticated emmer (TriticumDicoccon) likeDurum, Polish,Khorasan andPersianwheat. Archaeological findings suggest that Rivetwheat's spread fromFertileCrescentandarrived inEuropebytheMediterraneanroute.

Why a forgotten crop? Its limits and qualitiesAcross its evolutionary process in cold and mountainous environments, Rivet wheatacquiredagoodtolerancetofrost,windandhumidity.Ithasthecapacitytogrowinpoorsoils,showsastrongweedcompetitivenessandagoodresistancetodiseases.Consistentlywith the hardness of the kernel, it has been traditionally used for pasta and biscuitelaboration.

A beam of rustic features revealed inappropriate to the industrialization of agriculture.Onceappreciatedtorepeallargepredators,barbschallengethemechanizedthreshing.Onrichsoils,Rivetwheat'slongstraw(1.80m)causelodging,anadditionalfactorofabandonat a time when its use for cattle feeding faced the competency of imported soya bean.Comparedtonewlybredvarieties,Rivetwheatoccupythefieldsduringalongperiod(fromOctober-NovembertoAugust),presentsanunevenripening,alateheadingandamodestyield(from2to2.5tonesperhectare).Regardinglaterprocessing,colouraswellasphysicalpropertiesofthegraindidn'tfitwiththemodernstandardsforbreadandpastamaking.

Thankstogoodperformancefororganicfarmingthatgoesalongwithpositivefeedbacksfromconsumers,Rivetwheatattractstodaytheinterestofsomefarmers,processorsandsellers.

ATFIRSTGLANCE

Duringthe20thcentury,landracesofvariouswheatformsweregraduallysubstitutedbystandardizedpurelinesofsoftanddurumwheat.Inthatcontext,Rivetwheatcaseillustratesthecontemporaryresurgenceofforgottencropsinorganicfarming.

THERIVETWHEAT,

anexampleofforgottenspecies

DIVERSIFOODapproachtothisissueAnexplorationofRivetwheatsituationatthepresenttimeinFrancehasbeencarriedtohighlightactorsandformsoforganization,involvedknowledgeandpractices,emergingquestionsandfirstanswers.Aparallelstepwastoorganizethenetworksoffarmersandpasta,biscuitorbreadmakersinterestedinRivetwheat.Interactingwithproducersandprocessers' experience, a global analysis (agronomic, technological, nutritional andsensorial)describesRivetwheat'sdiversityandgeneralqualities,focusesonitslimitsandbenefits,evaluatesthepotentialtointeractwiththebioticenvironment.

DIVERSIFOODresultsregardingthisissueIn France, an overviewof the network of farmers that growRivet nowadays has beendrawn. Since 2006, different groups (GABB Anjou, GAB65) started taking out severalwheatvarietiesfromdifferentGermplasmBanks.Theymultipliedthesamples,eventuallycreatedpopulationmixturesandoperatedselectioninawaythatinitiatedco-adaptationprocessesbetweenseeds,environmentandpractices.Informalseedtransfercouldrelyonnetwork-shapedassociations(as“RéseauSemencesPaysannes).Asaresultmorethan30landraces are being multiplied in different regions. In The Netherlands, from fiveaccessionsadaptedtolocalclimate,lodgingsusceptibleduetohighearweight,accessionswereselectedin2016/17.InUK,firsttrialsatDovesfarminsouthernEnglandrevealedoverallgoodperformance.Morethan200farmersparticipatedtoshowcaseofselectedRivetvarietiesataNationalOrganicCombinableCropseventin2017.

Technological analyzesof landracesshowagreatvariabilityofkernelhardness,glutenand global protein content, gliadin/glutenin ratio and otherparameters conditioning physical properties of grain. ThatmakesRivetwheattheoreticallysuitableforbothbakeryandpasta/pastry making. Consistently, bakers observedsignificantdifferencesinelasticityandextensibilityamongthevarietiestheytested.SomeofthemjudgethedoughtoostrongandmixRivetwithsoftwheattofacilitatepreparationwhilestillbringingnewaromastotheirbread.Indeed,theydetectedareleaseofspecialaromasatearlystagesofthepreparation.Duringthebreadtestingsessionsthatoperatedcomparisonsbetweensoft/durumwheatandRivetwheat, tastersnoticedmore perfumed, biscuit-like and tendentiously more acidic flavours of Rivet wheat,associatedwithdifferencesoftexture,amorebrownishcolourandadensercrumb.

Thewayforward1 -DIVERSIFOODwill extend the investigationnewsourcesofdiversityexploringpastusesofpotentialinterest,focusingonRivetwheatoriginandevolution,assessingavailablelandraces already in farms or still in Germplasm Banks. Field experiments arecomplementing farmers initiatives - the 197 rivet accessions founded in Spanish seedconservatoryarebeingtestedandmultiplied.Otheraccessionswillbeevaluatedsoon.

2 - Promising innovations related to cultivation andprocessing are to explore. WhichadaptationsofdoughpreparationandfermentationallowtoobtainagoodbreadvolumeandtostickouttheappreciatedorganolepticcharacteristicsofRivetflour?Howcanthedifferent behaviours andqualities ofRivet landraces canbe translated into a coherentarrayofselectionstrategies?