Growth, development, and biomass partitioning of the perennial grain crop Thinopyrum intermedium

Abstract

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.

Nested association mapping reveals the genetic architecture of spike emergence and anthesis timing in intermediate wheatgrass

“…Weather data for Salina, KS was obtained from the TLI Weather Station. Growing degree days (GDDs) were calculated in degrees Celsius using the following equation, where T max and T min are the maximum and minimum daily temperatures, and T base is 0°C, or the base temperature for growth used in IWG ( Frank 1996 ; Jungers et al 2018 ): …”

Integrating multipurpose perennial grains crops in Western European farming systems

“…Interestingly, harvesting forage does not cause yield penalties if it is done before stem elongation or after grain harvest (Larkin et al, 2014;Lee et al, 2009;Pugliese, 2017;Pugliese et al, 2019). Higher quality of forage biomass is found in the spring when the relative mass of leaves in regard to stems is the highest (Jungers et al, 2018). But still, post-harvest crop residue has been shown suitable for mature beef cattle feed, which do not need to gain weight during winter.…”

“…Generally, in spite of attractive perspectives, more investigations and longtime experiments are required to make conclusions about pest issues and identify specific influences and appropriate management strategies. Notably, weed management during the establishment year can be highly challenging as IWG is slow to emerge and does not cover the whole soil surface and has delayed stem elongation and flowering period compared to annual cereal grains (Jungers et al, 2018). This early weed sensitivity may contradict the lowinput purpose since herbicide need could expand during this time.…”

Agrobiological characteristics of spelt wheat and intermediate wheatgrass in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

“…Other scientists also studied intermediate wheatgrass as a fodder crop. In researches, the yield of the vegetative mass of plants varied from 7790 to 9200 kg/ha (Jungers et al, 2018). Observ ations by other scientists suggested that the species of intermediate wheatgrass -Kernza can be used as a fodder and food crop.…”