The Human Genome; Wheat the heck?

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I was surprised to read recently that "Wheat’s genetic code contains 16bn chemical letters and an estimated 80,000 genes." This is reported to be 5 times larger than the human genome! The report came out on BBC and was a long-term project to produce a hardy wheat that combines the likes of heat & germ resistance in improving the world's supply of wheat. From what I read, the information is being shared globally and that is extremely commendable given the high price tags and patents put on so many GOOD works. Was anyone else surprised by this? Does size indicate complexity in this sense make sense to you? Eric