Wheat is a good source of carbohydrates for ruminants, and recent low prices in the UK suggest that usage is likely to increase. However, there is a shortage of information on the digestibility of wheat in the rumen. Such information is vital for predicting the relative value of wheat as a source of fermentable metabolisable energy or by-pass starch. Digestibility is likely to be affected by growing conditions and genetics. Genetic differences are found between wheat varieties, but comparisons of named varieties yield limited information because many characteristics vary simultaneously. This problem can be overcome by using near-isogenic lines of wheat that vary only in a limited number of known characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine the rumen digestion characteristics of different near-isogenic wheat lines grown under the same agronomic conditions.