Tribbles feasting on quadrotriticale.
Quadrotriticale is a high-yield, perennial, four-lobed grain, genetically engineered hybrid of wheat and rye. The root grain, triticale, can trace its ancestry back to 20th century Canada. Pavel Chekov, however, claimed that "it [was] an Russian invention." It is the only grain able to grow on Sherman's Planet.
In 2267, Federation undersecretary Nilz Baris transported several tons of quadrotriticale to Deep Space K-7, intending to send it to Sherman's Planet. He ordered Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise to protect the grain.
The grain, however, was later discovered to be poisoned by the Klingons, through the assistance of their Intelligence operative, Arne Darvin. The discovery would be made when untended tribbles got into the grain silos and ate the poisoned grain, where they soonafter died from the poison. (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles")
- Quadrotriticale was not referred to in dialogue in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations", but was mentioned in the script's stage directions.
This grain would be superceded by quintotriticale by 2269. (TAS: "More Tribbles, More Troubles")
In late-2373, Quark's quadrotriticale futures contract was completely wiped out, which among other things, worsened the fact that he was "up to his lobes in debt." (DS9: "Business as Usual")