Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial grass that is being domesticated and improved for use as a grain crop. As a perennial grain crop, intermediate wheatgrass has the potential to produce economically viable, food-grade grain while providing environmental benefits such as reduced erosion and nitrate leaching. To guide agronomic activities for this new crop, more information on intermediate wheatgrass growth and development is needed. We sampled plants every 3-5 days throughout the growing season at three environments to measure growth and development in response to accumulating growing degree days (GDD). A numerical growth index was used to quantify morphological development. Growth index, plant height, biomass, height of the tallest node, and biomass partitioning to leaf, stem, and inflorescence were modelled as a function of GDD. We predicted dates (in GDD and day of the year) for critical morphological events as they relate to grain crop production using model equations. The fraction of total biomass allocated to leaves decreased and stems increased in response to GDD, and both components represented equal proportions of aboveground biomass at plant maturity. Growth and development was similar across environments, but variation in yield components (e.g., 50 seed weight, seed mass inflorescence −1 ) was observed. Our results provide the first quantification of growth and development of intermediate wheatgrass, and have application to growers seeking to determine optimal timing of agronomic practices, as well as crop modellers working to integrate new crops into simulation models. As intermediate wheatgrass expands as a perennial grain crop, growth and development should be measured in a broader range of temperature and precipitation conditions.
Core Ideas Trinexapac‐ethyl reduces height and lodging in wheatgrass.Trinexapac‐ethyl increased grain yield when lodging risk was high.Prohexanedione calcium had no effect on wheatgrass.Trinexapac‐ethyl can reduce risk of yield losses due to lodging. Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium; IWG), a new perennial grain crop, has the potential to provide ecosystem services while producing food‐grade grain; however, productivity is currently limited by high rates of lodging. Trinexapac‐ethyl (TE) and prohexadione‐calcium (PC) are widely used plant growth regulators (PGRs) for mitigating lodging and improving seed yield in other grass crops. Our objectives were to determine the effects of the PGRs PC and TE, PGR application rate, and nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (0, 40, 80 kg N ha−1) on IWG lodging, height, and grain and biomass yields. Experiments were initiated in first‐ and third‐year stands at St. Paul and Rosemount, MN. Few effects of PC on IWG height, lodging, or yields were observed, while TE consistently reduced plant height by 10 to 20% and lodging by up to 20% in a year with high lodging risk. Application of TE to IWG at the recommended rate (437 g a.i. ha−1) or higher rates increased grain yields by 65 to 100% when lodging incidence was high, but did not affect grain yields in years with lower lodging risk. While a negative correlation between lodging and grain yields was observed, nitrogen fertilizer affected IWG grain and biomass yields in only one of five site‐years, and there was no interaction between N fertilizer and PGR effects on IWG. Nonetheless, the PGR TE demonstrated the potential to reduce plant height and lodging, thereby increasing IWG yield potential.
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