Grain crops are an important part of the human diet, accounting for a third of the consumed calories. Throughout human history, annual grain crops with high yields have been obtained through domestication. However, the “annual” characteristic brings associated a series of economic and environmental disadvantages, such as soil erosion or low soil resources use, that can be solved if the agriculture of annual varieties evolves towards perenniality. For this reason, there are numerous research groups dedicated to study and obtain perennial varieties of the most cultivated grain crops. In this review article, we have summarized the most important advances related to the subject, focusing on the domestication and hybridization of the most productive grains globally: wheat, rice, maize, rye and sorghum. We highlight their benefits for sustainable agriculture worldwide due to perennial grains may contribute to reducing erosion, acting avoiding carbon losses, reducing nutrient losses to waters or capturing nutrients deeper in soil when they are scarce, reducing farm costs and thus, increasing the effectiveness of agricultural grain crops. Despite perennial grain crops having disadvantages, they possess outstanding characteristics which make them resilient crops to deal with the imminent climate change. However, maintaining the perenniality trait without reducing genetic biodiversity is a great challenge of current scientific importance that must be deeply considered.

粮食作物是人类饮食的重要组成部分，占消耗热量的三分之一。纵观人类历史，通过驯化获得了高产的一年生粮食作物。然而，“一年生”特征带来了一系列经济和环境劣势，如水土流失或土壤资源利用率低，如果一年生品种农业向多年生农业发展，这些劣势是可以解决的。出于这个原因，有许多研究小组致力于研究和获得最常种植的谷物作物的多年生品种。在这篇评论文章中，我们总结了与该主题相关的最重要进展，重点关注全球产量最高的谷物的驯化和杂交：小麦、水稻、玉米、黑麦和高粱。我们强调它们对全球可持续农业的好处，因为多年生谷物可能有助于减少侵蚀、采取行动避免碳损失、减少水的养分损失或在稀缺时在土壤深处捕获养分，从而降低农场成本，从而提高农业效率。粮食作物。尽管多年生粮食作物有缺点，但它们具有突出的特性，使它们能够应对迫在眉睫的气候变化。然而，在不减少遗传生物多样性的情况下保持多年生性状是当前科学重要性的重大挑战，必须深入考虑。减少水的养分损失或在土壤稀缺时将养分捕获到更深的土壤中，从而降低农场成本，从而提高农作物的效率。尽管多年生粮食作物有缺点，但它们具有突出的特性，使它们能够应对迫在眉睫的气候变化。然而，在不减少遗传生物多样性的情况下保持多年生性状是当前科学重要性的重大挑战，必须深入考虑。减少水的养分损失或在土壤稀缺时将养分捕获到更深的土壤中，从而降低农场成本，从而提高农作物的效率。尽管多年生粮食作物有缺点，但它们具有突出的特性，使它们能够应对迫在眉睫的气候变化。然而，在不减少遗传生物多样性的情况下保持多年生性状是当前科学重要性的重大挑战，必须深入考虑。