DOCSLIB.ORG

Land Report Number 104, Fall 2012 · the Land Institute the Land Institute

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Land Report Number 104, Fall 2012 · the Land Institute the Land Institute Land Report Number 104, Fall 2012 · The Land Institute The Land Institute MISSION STATEMENT DIRECTORS When people, land and community are as one, all three members Anne Simpson Byrne prosper; when they relate not as members but as competing inter- Brian Donahue Vivian Donnelley ests, all three are exploited. By consulting nature as the source and Pete Ferrell measure of that membership, The Land Institute seeks to develop an Jan Flora agriculture that will save soil from being lost or poisoned, while pro- Eric Gimon moting a community life at once prosperous and enduring. Wes Jackson Michelle Mack Patrick McLarney OUR WORK Leigh Merinoff Thousands of new perennial grain plants live year-round at The Land Conn Nugent Institute, prototypes we developed in pursuit of a new agriculture Lloyd Schermer that mimics natural ecosystems. Grown in polycultures, perennial John Simpson Donald Worster crops require less fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide. Their root sys- Angus Wright tems are massive. They manage water better, exchange nutrients more e∞ciently and hold soil against the erosion of water and wind. This strengthens the plants’ resilience to weather extremes, and restores STAFF Kris Boele the soil’s capacity to hold carbon. Our aim is to make conservation a Scott Bontz consequence, not a casualty, of agricultural production. Carrie Carpenter Marty Christians LAND REPORT Sheila Cox Stan Cox Land Report is published three times a year. issn 1093-1171. The edi- Tim Crews tor is Scott Bontz. To use material from the magazine, reach him at Lee DeHaan [email protected], or the address or phone number below. Ti≠any Durr Ron Fent ELECTRONIC MEDIA Adam Gorrell Stephanie Hutchinson To receive Scoop, e-mail news about The Land Institute, write to Wes Jackson Carrie Carpenter at [email protected], or call. Our Web site Emily James is landinstitute.org. Patricia Johnson Ron Kinkelaar Glenn Laubhan SUPPORT John Mai To help The Land Institute, see the contribution form on the back Grant Mallett cover, or contribute online at landinstitute.org. Funders receive the Jayne Norlin Land Report. Steve Renich John Schmidt Duane Schrag TO REACH US Scott Seirer The Land Institute Freddie Smith 2440 E. Water Well Road, Salina, KS 67401 David Van Tassel phone 785-823-5376 Cindy Thompson Shuwen Wang fax 785-823-8728 Darlene Wolf [email protected] Contents Land Report 104, Fall 2012 4 At the Land: Hybrid wheat up Down Under 10 Navigating the numbers game Scott Bontz 15 Prairie Festival recordings 16 The necessity of historical imagination Wes Jackson 28 Field notes 29 Thanks to our contributors 31 The writers and artists Notebook for molecular markers in development of perennial wheat at The Land Institute. Cover: Prairie Festival bonfire at sculptor Bill McBride’s “Hedge Fire Circle.” For more about the festival, see page 7. Scott Seirer photo. AT THE LAND Hybrid wheat up Down Under esearchers in Australia grew perennial wheat hybrids de- veloped outside their country and environment, and saw an Rencouraging three lines, from The Land Institute and Washington State University, produce grain three years in a row. Analysis of a protein type suggested that most of the lines tested would make useful dough. Disease resistance was high. Writing in the journal Field Crops Research, the Australians saw these traits as a “great op- portunity” for commercial success with perennial grain crops. Of 125 lines planted in the first two years, 34 percent persisted to make grain the second year. After harvest of the total of 176 lines, some regrowth appeared in 61 per- cent. Three lines from the 73 planted in the first year,2008 , made grain three successive years. Whether they or the later lines could go on is unknown. The Australians’ funding died. But the study’s lead author, Richard Hayes, is coordinating a new study to take seeds from plants successful in Australia and see how they perform in different environ- Perennial sunflowers in fall bloom at The Land Institute. Researchers Sheila Cox and David Van Tassel, with a GPS receiver, prepare to find plants they want. For the story see page 10. Scott Bontz photo. ments around the world. Researchers will grow plots of modest size in eight countries: Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Nepal, Canada, Australia, and the United States. The Australians noted that the performance of perennial wheat hy- brids differed greatly from at their origins, 4 LAND REPORT Perennial sunflowers in fall bloom at The Land Institute. Researchers Sheila Cox and David Van Tassel, with a GPS receiver, prepare to find plants they want. For the story see page 10. Scott Bontz photo. THE LAND INSTITUTE 5 evidence of the significant influence of envi- them would do little good. To find the dif- ronment. ference in effect by genes vs. environment, Genetic testing showed that for the scientists use calculations based on records ability to regrow, a wheat hybrid in the of plants’ parentage. Australian program needed at least 14 chro- Almost 1,000 Kernza plants begun mosomes from the perennial parent. The elsewhere with seed provided by DeHaan perennials involved here, all wheatgrasses came back to The Land Institute as part of of the genus Thinopyrum, have chromosome genetic studies that also should speed crop counts of 14, 28, 42, and 70. The annual development. Traci Viinanen, a University parents were bread wheat, with 42, and of Chicago graduate student, shipped about durum – pasta – wheat, with 28. Perenniality 400 plants that she started in a greenhouse, is a complex trait affected by many genes. but for which she lacks field space in the Having that minimum of 14 chromosomes city. These are crosses of DeHaan’s improved from the perennial side was no guarantee stock with wild plants lacking the improve- of regrowth, and the hybrids were highly ments. Viinanen wants to learn the genetic variable across the board of traits examined, control of these traits, such as whether there including yield, grain size, grain quality, and are many genes of small effect or few genes height of tillers, the side shoots. This reflect- of large effect. This study is part of an ef- ed the diversity of their pedigree – and the fort to genetically map Kernza and develop genetic richness that researchers can tap. genetic markers that will speed selection Many of the lines in the Australian by predicting traits without having to study were developed by programs in the grow plants to maturity in the field. Steve Soviet Union, China, Mexico, and Argentina. Larson, employed by the USDA at Utah Not all of these lines came from attempts to State University, drove about 500 plants to develop perennial wheat; breeders of annual Kansas after extracting DNA for mapping. crops draw on wild perennials for genetic He will also keep growing Kernza in Utah to strengths such as disease resistance. compare the effects of environment on traits of interest. DeHaan and colleagues also are Progress at home growing Kernza in Minnesota. For weeks Land Institute staff threshed and Wild plants “shatter” and drop their weighed seed from thousands of Kernza seed. Domestic plants should hang on to plants, and researcher Lee DeHaan was seeds until harvest. One of the challenges pleased to see that genetic effects relative of developing perennial grains from wild to environmental influences appeared very plants is changing this trait. Researcher large, at least several times greater than the David Van Tassel this year reports finding in ratio two generations ago. This means faster his plots of Silphium, a plant in the sunflower progress toward a viable perennial grain. family, a few individuals highly resistant to “You get where you’re going,” DeHaan said, shattering. Fellow researcher Sheila Cox had rather than sidetracking with plants that a hard time pulling the seeds off one head enjoyed good conditions one year, but don’t as she was preparing to weigh them. And have superior genes. Another way to think Van Tassel observed other heads in the field about this is that with genetically identical in mid-October – at least two months after plants, any difference seen in their growth they were ripe – with no noticeable shatter- will be environmental, and selecting among ing. 6 LAND REPORT These anecdotal discoveries can’t be with environmental historian Brian Donahue used for selecting plants. Shattering must be about of high grain prices this year bring- quantified in the same way for every plant ing the plow to hilly land long kept in grass, being considered. For that, Chinese peren- and of the value of perennial cover, and nial rice breeder Fengyi Hu recently donated they argued for more farmers on and close 10,000 tough nylon mesh bags. Tied over to the land, and about policy and activism seed heads, these bags capture seeds shat- to get them there at a time when, Wendell tered by wind, sun, rain, and frost, and they Berry said, “The world is not their oyster.” prevent birds from eating unshattered seed Ecologist Michelle Mack explained how while the heads mature. When the heads ecosystems are helping sock away much of are removed from the bags in the lab, the the fossil carbon that humans dump in the weight of the loose seed is compared with air, how that flow can reverse and acceler- the weight of the seed still held by the head. ate climate change, and why the certainty Other important traits that can be measured of a warmer, rougher future makes impor- from the bagged samples are the average tant the development of resilient, perennial number of seeds per head and average indi- grain polycultures. Environmental studies vidual seed weight.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Intermediate Wheatgrass: Food Science Work To
    Intermediate Wheatgrass: Food Science Work to Develop Applications Food Science Groups: Mirko Bunzel ([email protected]) BaraemBaraem(Pam)(Pam) Ismail Ismail ([email protected]([email protected]) DevinDevin PetersonPeterson ([email protected]([email protected]) ) Tonya Schoenfuss ([email protected]) Koushik Seetharaman Lab (Dr.(Dr. Alessandra Marti [email protected]@umn.edu) George Annor Lab ([email protected]) What is Food Science and Why are We Working on IWG? Food science is the study of the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food; and the concepts underlying food processing. Food technology is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution, and use of safe food. To Use Any Food Ingredient on an Industry Scale, we need to understand: • Functionality – how do the protein and starch behave when we cook or bake with IWG? – Can we modify this through processing? Breeding for certain traits? • Storage stability – What impacts shelf-life? Lipids? Enzymes? – Can we control this through processing? • Flavor – How does it compare to other grains and products we know? – What is unique about it? • Nutrients – What is its composition? – Are the unique components? Are there any anti-nutritional factors? Benefits and Challenges of IWG - Composition of IWG Compared to Wheat Composition IWG Composition Whole Wheat (average of 13 breeding populations) (Hard red spring) ash, 2.7% fat, 4.2% ash, 1.8% HRW protein, 12.0% fat, 3.1% 26 g/1000 seeds IWG (2004) 3.9 g/1000 seeds protein, 21.6% carbohydrates 71.5% carbohydrates , 83.0% More protein More carbohydrates Intermediate Wheatgrass (2015) IWG (2015) Protein, 16.4% 5.1 g/1000 seeds Fat, 5.04% Ash, 2.30% Carbohydrate, 75.8% Importance of Protein & Starch for Product Functionality • Proteins can be used to hold gas in baked goods (bread & popovers).
    [Show full text]
  • Perennializing Grain Crop Agriculture: a Pathway for Climate Change Mitigation & Adaption a White Paper for the Philanthropic Community
    Perennializing Grain Crop Agriculture: A Pathway for Climate Change Mitigation & Adaption A white paper for the philanthropic community The Land Institute, Salina, KS February 13, 2020 Perennial grain crops deliver dramatic amounts of carbon to the soil, as illustrated by the extensive root system of intermediate wheatgrass (left) compared to annual wheat (right). Intermediate wheatgrass produces Kernza® perennial grain. Photo: Jim Richardson Authors: Fred Iutzi, MS and Tim Crews, PhD Contact: Timothy Crews, PhD Director of Research, The Land Rachel Stroer, Institute [email protected] Acting President, The Land Institute [email protected] The Land Institute, 2440 E. Water Well Rd., Salina, KS 67401 www.landinstitute.org 785-823-5376 1 CONTENTS Contents .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Climate change mitigation & adaptation through perennial grain crops – non-technical narrative.............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Perennializing grain crops is a major untapped carbon sequestration opportunity ....... 4 How perennial grains can sequester large amounts of carbon in the soil ............................ 5 Transformational benefits
    [Show full text]
  • The Necessity and Possibility of an Agriculture Where Nature Is the Measure
    Conservation in Context The Necessity and Possibility of an Agriculture Where Nature is the Measure Across the farmlands of the world, cli- pesticides have seriously degraded yield crops that feed humanity— mate change overshadows an ecolog- this gift of good land, the best con- including rice, wheat, corn, soy- ical and cultural crisis of unequaled tiguous stretch in the world. beans, and peanuts—are annuals. scale: soil erosion, loss of wild bio- In California rich valleys and reli- With cropping of annuals (alive just diversity, poisoned land and water, able snow pack in a Mediterranean part of the year and weakly rooted salinization, nitrates, expanding dead environment lessen the problem of even then), comes more loss of pre- zones, the loss of farmers, and demise soil erosion. But there is spraying, cious soil, nutrients, and water. of rural communities. Rapid climate salinization, accumulation of toxins But the problem of agriculture is change seems certain to amplify the in the delta, and loss of farmland to about more than the annual condi- consequences, but it would be a cri- sprawl. tion. It is also about growing them in sis regardless. The same thing driv- I could continue the inventory, but the unnatural condition of vast mono- ing climate change helps drive agri- the point is each region has its own cultures. This makes harvest easy, but cultural crisis, and, until recently, problems and opportunities. So we these fields of annual monocultures helped mask it; cheap fossil fuel and must acknowledge that all success- have only one kind of root architec- the things made from it, including ful corrections will be local.
    [Show full text]
  • The Land Report a Publication of the Land Institute / Number 86 / Fall 2006
    The Land Report A publication of The Land Institute / Number 86 / Fall 2006 The Sunflower Why It’s a Crop, What This Costs the Land, and How We Work to Change That Contents The Land Institute Mission Statement Features When people, land and community are as one, all The Sunflower three members prosper; when they relate not as David Van Tassel members but as competing interests, all three are Why It’s a Crop, What This Costs the Land, exploited. By consulting nature as the source and and How We Work to Change That .................................4 measure of that membership, The Land Institute To Shatter, or Not to Shatter ................................................7 seeks to develop an agriculture that will save soil Production and Uses of Sunflower .......................................9 from being lost or poisoned, while promoting a A Native Gets Culture Abroad ...........................................11 community life at once prosperous and enduring. The Hybrid Ethos ...............................................................13 Why Sunflowers Follow the Sun .......................................14 Prairie Festival Land Institute Staff Land Institute Our Barn Spilleth Over ......................................................16 Ron Armstrong Board of Directors What Draws Them .............................................................18 Scott Bontz Anne Simpson Byrne Recordings .........................................................................20 Cindy Cox Strachan Donnelley Sheila Cox Terry Evans Long View, Lost
    [Show full text]
  • 'Is the Future of Agriculture Perennial?'
    ‘Is the Future of Agriculture Perennial?’ LUND, 6-10TH OF MAY 2019 2 ABSTRACTS FOR ‘IS THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE PERENNIAL?’, LUND, 6-10TH OF MAY 2019 Abstracts Keynote talks Tuesday 7/5 Wes Jackson, The Land Institute Nature Systems Agriculture and the Need for a Creaturely World View Natural Systems Agriculture began less than a year after our 1976 beginning when my students and I took a field trip to a native Kansas Prairie. Noting the contrast between nature’s prairie and annual grain monocultures the reality of nature’s wisdom and the failure of human cleverness was clear. Perennial grain polycultures research began, but with full awareness that science is embedded in dominating social organizations which must be well understood if we are to address the countless problems in our climate changing ecosphere. To that end I will give a brief history of our origins and argue for a information rich creaturely world view to replace the industrial mind. John Head, Kansas University Is the Future of Agroecological Governance also Perennial? In addition to the scientific innovations that will allow us to give an affirmative answer to the central question of this conference – “Is the Future of Agriculture Perennial?” – we must also consider and design legal and institutional innovations, especially at the global level, that can facilitate an effective transformation from modern extractive agriculture to agroecological husbandry. These reforms in agroecological governance should give special emphasis to (i) reconceptualizing state sovereignty to reflect 21st- century realities and (ii) introducing new legal entities (“eco-states”) with authority to manage agroecological matters in ways that will address the soil and climate crises.
    [Show full text]
  • The Land Report a Publication of the Land Institute / Number 92 / Fall 2008
    The Land Report A publication of The Land Institute / Number 92 / Fall 2008 yy country,country, my my America, America, defineddefined patriotismpatriotism as asa a willingnesswillingness to to sacrifice. sacrifice. IfIf wewe couldcould do do that that once, once, wewe could do do that that again. again. We couldWe could take the take the AmericanAmerican flag flag down down from fromthe outlet the outletmall and mall andplant plant it at theit at victory the victory garden. garden.–Barbara –BarbaraKingsolver Kingsolver Will the Real Conservatives Please Stand Up? plus Changing Heroes At the Land Breeding Perennial Rice in China n September, Land Institute plant breeders Stan Cox and David Van Tassel visited breeders in China who are developing perennial varieties of rice, arguably the world’s most important food crop, on which some I3 billion people depend. Cox went on to see Australians working toward perennial wheat. The Land Institute supports both efforts, to spread development of perennial grains beyond its own climate and geography. Cox and Van Tassel drove through the countryside of Yunnan Province in south China and saw cropping on frighteningly steep slopes with no terraces to curb erosion. Most of the crops were corn, with some sunflower. But much of the rice in south Yunnan, northern Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Thailand is grown on hillsides, not in flat, lowland paddies. This upland rice is what the Chinese are breeding to be a perennial crop, though paddy hybrids might follow. At Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ experiment station on Hainan Island, off the south coast of mainland China, Cox and Van Tassel were impressed by rice nurseries of descendants from a single hybrid plant that Yunnan’s Tao Dayun made 10 years ago in a difficult cross between cultivated rice, Oryza sativa, and a wild African species, Oryza longistaminata.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Report the Land Institute ∙ Summer 2011 the Land Institute
    LAND REPORT THE LAND INSTITUTE ∙ SUMMER 2011 THE LAND INSTITUTE MISSION STATEMENT DIRECTORS When people, land and community are as one, all three members Anne Simpson Byrne prosper; when they relate not as members but as competing inter- Vivian Donnelley Terry Evans ests, all three are exploited. By consulting nature as the source and Pete Ferrell measure of that membership, The Land Institute seeks to develop an Jan Flora agriculture that will save soil from being lost or poisoned, while pro- Wes Jackson moting a community life at once prosperous and enduring. Patrick McLarney Conn Nugent Victoria Ranney OUR WORK Lloyd Schermer Thousands of new perennial grain plants live year-round at The Land John Simpson Institute, prototypes we developed in pursuit of a new agriculture Donald Worster that mimics natural ecosystems. Grown in polycultures, perennial Angus Wright crops require less fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide. Their root sys- tems are massive. They manage water better, exchange nutrients more STAFF e∞ciently and hold soil against the erosion of water and wind. This Scott Bontz strengthens the plants’ resilience to weather extremes, and restores Carrie Carpenter Marty Christians the soil’s capacity to hold carbon. Our aim is to make conservation a Cindy Cox consequence, not a casualty, of agricultural production. Sheila Cox Stan Cox LAND REPORT Lee DeHaan Ti≠any Durr Land Report is published three times a year. issn 1093-1171. The edi- Jerry Glover tor is Scott Bontz. To use material from the magazine, reach him at Adam Gorrell [email protected], or the address or phone number below.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2019 About the Land Institute
    Annual Report 2019 About The Land Institute Since 1976, The Land Institute has worked to transform grain agriculture globally from a system of extractive domination to one of generative care. Nature is our measure and from nature we are given two values that are key to a truly regenerative agriculture and to a healthy, just society in equilibrium with the earth of which it is a part: perenniality and diversity. Our team of plant breeders and ecologists, together with collaborators on six continents, are working to develop perennial grains, pulses, and oilseed bearing plants to be grown in ecologically intensified, diverse crop mixtures. When realized, this new agricultural system promises to hold and restore soil, produce ample food, require less fossil fuels, conserve water, and mitigate and endure the impacts of climate change. In tandem, we are working to extend the insights of this new agricultural system to aid human communities to live in just relationships within an ecospheric standard. The Land Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and education organization funded by charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, and private foundations. Cover: Megan Gladbach, a perennial sorghum technician at The Land Institute, battles weeds with a hoe in a field of sorghum. The Institute is breeding sorghum to be a perennial food crop. Above: Crystal Ma, left, and Sienna Polk (interns) carry bags of harvested perennial wheat to the edge of a breed- ing plot for pickup. The wheat will later be threshed and analyzed in the lab. Looking on is Piyush Labhsetwar, a perennial wheat research technician.
    [Show full text]
  • 2440 E. Water Well Rd., Salina, Kansas 67416 [email protected]
    Kernza® Collaborators In 2009, Kernza® domestication was the part-time project of one scientist at The Land Institute (TLI). It was, however, a surprisingly successful project given the limited resources invested to that point. Therefore, in 2010, Lee DeHaan, PhD, was assigned to the project full-time to accelerate the domestication work and expand it through collaborations with other institutions. Results at this point were showing great potential to increase the yield through plant breeding and to develop products with great flavor and nutritional properties. Furthermore, the potential of perennial crops to dramatically improve soil health and sustainability was becoming widely recognized. Therefore, many collaborators soon joined in the research effort. Expansion of the research was expedited by increasing investment in this area by private philanthropists, federal grant programs, and state/provincial funding. Yield of Kernza is strictly limited by the genetic potential of the seed currently available. Breeding programs for diverse regions are therefore a top priority. Currently, four breeding programs are underway in Utah, Minnesota, and Manitoba, and Kansas. These programs collaborate, but they are developing plant types uniquely adapted to each of the different regions. Techniques for growing Kernza that maximize both yield and sustainability are needed as farmers begin to plant expanded fields. Intercropping, grazing, burning, and thinning are being tested experimentally to determine their impacts on crop yield, profitability, and important sustainability metrics such as carbon sequestration in soils. Since management techniques have different impacts depending on soil and climate, these trials must be conducted across the full geographic range where Kernza will be grown.
    [Show full text]
  • The Land Report Is Published Three BOARD of DIRECTORS: Sally the Previous Day, 15 Friends of the Times a Year
    The L and Report A publication of The Land Institute | Number 70 | Summer 2001 25th Anniversary Issue Contents Energy in Agriculture and Society: Insights from the Sunshine Farm by Marty Bender . 3 The Emperor’s New Chromosomes by Stan Cox . 6 The Land at 25 . 9 Seeking Harmony Beyond Hard Facts by Wes Jackson . 20 On Freedom and Wisdom by Learned Hand . 21 At the Land . 22 Graduates’ Study of Natural Systems Agriculture . 25 Our Mission Statement Memorials and Honorary Gifts . 27 When people, land and community are as one, all three members prosper; Contributors . 28 when they relate not as members but as Prairie Festival 2000 Audiotape Order Form . 30 competing interests, all three are A Big View of Industrial Agriculture’s Effects . 31 exploited. By consulting nature as the Friend of The Land and source and measure of that member - Prairie Festival 2001 Registration . 31 ship, The Land Institute seeks to develop an agriculture that will save soil from being lost or poisoned while promoting a community life at once prosperous and enduring. Cover: Terry Evans . On Oct. 16, 1976, six weeks after our first session began, fire destroyed the classroom building, which had all of the books and tools. This picture was taken three weeks later, Nov. 6. The Land Report is published three BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Sally The previous day, 15 friends of The times a year. Cole, Terry Evans, Pete Ferrell, Land worked from daylight until Charles Francis, Amy Goldman, dusk on a log structure at the site of Editor: Wes Jackson Wes Jackson, Rhonda Janke, the burned building.
    [Show full text]
  • The Land Report Is Published Three BOARD of DIRECTORS: by Wes Jackson and Ted Mosquin
    The L and Report A publication of The Land Institute / Number 79 / Summer 2004 Contents India Looks West, Through Smog by Stan Cox ...................................................................... 3 Sending Our Idea to School ............................................ 7 Exporting Cheap Corn and Ruin by Michael Pollan .......................................................... 11 Our Broken Bond and Promise to Animals by Bernard E. Rollin ...................................................... 12 New Books .................................................................... 15 Plain Beautiful by Suzanne Winckler ...................................................... 16 Our Mission Statement At the Land .................................................................... 19 When people, land and community are as one, all Hiring for a Big Idea ..................................................... 21 three members prosper; when they relate not as members but as competing interests, all three are Prairie Festival ............................................................... 22 exploited. By consulting nature as the source and measure of that membership, The Land Institute Thank You to Our Contributors ..................................... 25 seeks to develop an agriculture that will save soil from being lost or poisoned while promoting a Memorials and Honorary Gifts ..................................... 26 community life at once prosperous and enduring. The Writers and Photographers ..................................... 28 Earth-centered
    [Show full text]
  • Approaches to Managing Intermediate Wheatgrass for Dual-Use Forage and Kernza® Perennial Grain Production
    Approaches to Managing Intermediate Wheatgrass for Dual-Use Forage and Kernza® Perennial Grain Production Last Updated: March, 2019 This is an evolving document and will be updated as research and on-farm experience continue. Future versions will be made available on kernza.com Images: Jérémie Favre (L), Mette Nielsen (R) A note on Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass development: This document includes suggestions for how to grow Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass for dual-use forage and grain production* in the U.S. Upper Midwest. Intermediate wheatgrass (scientific name Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial grass species related to wheat. While it is commonly planted in the U.S. as a forage grass, breeding programs at The Land Institute and the University of Minnesota have used the species to develop a promising new perennial grain crop. Selection for grain size, disease resistance, and other traits have advanced to the point that early-adopter farmers are now beginning to experiment with planting the crop. This document is meant to be a resource created for, and in partnership with, those farmer innovators. Kernza® is the trademarked name of the edible perennial grain harvested from the intermediate wheatgrass plant. The trademark is held by The Land Institute, a research-based non-profit organization in Salina, Kansas. Additional history can be found at kernza.org and forevergreen.umn.edu. Throughout this document the plant/crop is referred to as “Kernza intermediate wheatgrass”. Kernza intermediate wheatgrass is actively being researched and developed at research institutions and on farms. This is a new and experimental grain crop, and markets are in the early stages of development.
    [Show full text]