Reduced nitrate leaching in a perennial grain crop compared to maize in the Upper Midwest, USA

Jungers, Jacob M.; DeHaan, Lee; Mulla, D. J.; Sheaffer, Craig C.; Wyse, Donald L.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2018.11.007

Cited by 120 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Perennial grains have the potential to contribute to the dual challenge of promoting human nutritional security while protecting environmental quality (Hunter, Smith, Schipanski, Atwood, & Mortensen, 2017) by simultaneously producing edible grain, building soil, and filtering water (Glover et al., 2010; Jungers, DeHaan, Mulla, Sheaffer, & Wyse, 2019). Seeds from improved lines of the perennial cool‐season grass intermediate wheatgrass [ Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass I: Grain production

2020

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Increasing intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey] grain yield and maintaining yield over the life of a stand will be critical to the economic viability of Kernza (The Land Institute) grain production. Research on perennial grasses has shown that seed yield can be enhanced by (a) mechanically defoliating the stand for hay production and (b) increasing row spacing. We evaluated the interacting effects of row spacing and defoliation across the 4-yr life of an intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) stand in St. Paul, MN. We measured grain yield, harvest index, lodging, and yield components including grain mass and number of tillers, spikes, and grains. Data was analyzed with linear mixed models and partial least squares path analysis. Overall, grain yield declined substantially over time, from a mean of 880 kg ha −1 in 2015 to 276 kg ha −1 in 2018. Wider row spacings tended to increase grain yield. Defoliation increased grain yield in the first 2 yr, but may have decreased stand vigor in later years. Neither management practice fundamentally mitigated yield decline. The main cause of yield decline was the reduction in grain number per high-yielding spike, which dropped by roughly half after the first year. The proportion of spikes that were high yielding also declined over time. Increasing competition among reproductive units likely contributed to yield decline, but there is also evidence that resource allocation to reproduction declined over time. Future research in IWG breeding and management should focus on maintaining high grain number, reducing intra-stand competition, and increasing resource allocation to reproduction.Abbreviations: Ctrl, no defoliation; Fa, defoliation only in fall; HI, harvest index; IWG, intermediate wheatgrass; R/FR, red/far red; Sp, defoliation only in spring; SpFa, defoliation in spring and fall; TKW, thousand kernel weight; YC, yield component.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass I: Grain production

2020

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“…Harvesting IWG for grain typically results in a straw harvest; in addition, vegetative biomass can be cut in spring, fall, or both for hay production. By improving the economic viability of this crop, dual‐use management has the potential to help realize the environmental benefits of perennial agriculture, including reduced soil erosion, lower nitrate losses, increased carbon sequestration, and improved soil health (Asbjornsen et al., 2013; de Oliveira, Brunsell, Sutherlin, Crews, & DeHaan, 2018; Glover et al., 2010; Jungers, DeHaan, Mulla, Sheaffer, & Wyse, 2019). To help develop best practices for dual‐use management, we evaluated the interacting effects of defoliation and increasing row spacing, two practices that have increased productivity in perennial grass seed dual‐use systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass II: Forage yield and economics

et al. 2020

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Management systems that produce both grain and biomass coproducts could enhance the profitability of the novel perennial grain crop Kernza intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey] (IWG). Harvesting IWG for grain typically results in a straw harvest; in addition, vegetative biomass can be cut in spring, fall, or both for hay production. We evaluated the interacting effects of defoliation and row spacing on yield, forage quality, and economic return across the 3-yr life of a conventionally managed IWG stand in St. Paul, MN. We measured straw and hay yield and forage quality and then used recent hay auction results to model forage price and total potential value. We then used estimated production costs to calculate potential net return from straw production alone and with additional hay harvests. Overall, straw was more valuable than hay, despite being of much lower quality, since yields were 3-4 times greater. Straw potential value was similar to the cost of producing both straw and grain, greatly reducing the financial risk in Kernza grain production. Hay production was almost always profitable. Straw and hay yield and value were greater in 15-and 30-cm rows than in 61-cm rows. Defoliating in both spring and fall led to lower hay and straw yields in the third year. Our results indicate that the best strategy for achieving consistent high net return to biomass production is to plant in 15-or 30-cm rows and only cut hay in the fall.Abbreviations: ADF, acid detergent fiber; CP, crude protein; Ctrl, no defoliation; Fa, defoliation only in fall; GDD, growing degree days; IWG, intermediate wheatgrass; NIRS, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy; NDF, neutral detergent fiber; RFV, relative feed value; Sp, defoliation only in spring; SpFa, defoliation in spring and fall.

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“…Research has shown that IWG can reduce soil nitrate leaching by 86% or more compared to annual wheat crop systems (Culman et al, 2013). Jungers et al (2019) found that nitrate leaching under perennial grasses, including IWG, were one to two orders of magnitude less than annual maize. IWG has also been reported to have 15 times more root growth and nearly two times the above-ground biomass of annual wheat (Sprunger et al, 2018), which should translate into greater below-ground carbon storage rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Crop Domestication Through Genomic Selection, a Case Study of Intermediate Wheatgrass

et al. 2020

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Perennial grains could simultaneously provide food for humans and a host of ecosystem services, including reduced erosion, minimized nitrate leaching, and increased carbon capture. Yet most of the world's food and feed is supplied by annual grains. Efforts to domesticate intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrumn intermedium, IWG) as a perennial grain crop have been ongoing since the 1980's. Currently, there are several breeding programs within North America and Europe working toward developing IWG into a viable crop. As new breeding efforts are established to provide a widely adapted crop, questions of how genomic and phenotypic data can be used among sites and breeding programs have emerged. Utilizing five cycles of breeding data that span 8 years and two breeding programs, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, and The Land Institute, Salina, KS, we developed genomic selection (GS) models to predict IWG traits. Seven traits were evaluated with free-threshing seed, seed mass, and non-shattering being considered domestication traits while agronomic traits included spike yield, spikelets per inflorescence, plant height, and spike length. We used 6,199 genets -unique, heterozygous, individual plants -that had been profiled with genotyping-by-sequencing, resulting in 23,495 SNP markers to develop GS models. Within cycles, the predictive ability of GS was high, ranging from 0.11 to 0.97. Acrosscycle predictions were generally much lower, ranging from −0.22 to 0.76. The prediction ability for domestication traits was higher than agronomic traits, with non-shattering and free threshing prediction abilities ranging from 0.27 to 0.75 whereas spike yield had prediction abilities ranging from −0.22 to 0.26. These results suggest that progress to reduce shattering and increase the percent free-threshing grain can be made irrespective of the location and breeding program. While site-specific programs may be required for agronomic traits, synergies can be achieved in rapidly improving key domestication traits for IWG. As other species are targeted for domestication, these results will aid in rapidly domesticating new crops.

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Reduced nitrate leaching in a perennial grain crop compared to maize in the Upper Midwest, USA

Cited by 120 publications

References 53 publications

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass I: Grain production

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass I: Grain production

Effects of defoliation and row spacing on intermediate wheatgrass II: Forage yield and economics

Enhancing Crop Domestication Through Genomic Selection, a Case Study of Intermediate Wheatgrass

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