Research & Scientific Publications
The Land Institute’s work advances research and agricultural scientific knowledge and is conducted in an innovative yet rigorous professional context. Explore our findings and ideas via articles authored or co-authored by members of our staff and published in research and peer-reviewed journals.
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Introducing intermediate wheatgrass as a perennial grain crop into farming systems: insights into the decision-making process of pioneer farmers
Research collaborators at ISARA-Lyon in France conducted an analysis to better understand farmer needs related to Kernza production, including integration of the crop into existing systems, agronomic needs, and insights…
Metabolome fingerprinting reveals the presence of multiple nitrification inhibitors in biomass and root exudates of Thinopyrum intermedium
Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient and is also linked to socioecological issues resulting from nitrogen-based fertilizer runoff from agricultural land to natural bodies of water and drinking water sources….
Selection for agronomic traits in intermediate wheatgrass increases responsiveness to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
A collaborative research paper between The Land Institute’s Lee DeHaan, Tim Crews, and colleagues at the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research showed that Kernza breeding at The…
A phenotypic integration approach to breeding seedlings for early vigor and drought resistant traits
Research partners in Argentina working with Siplhium integrifolium (silflower) for its potential as a perennial oilseed crop looked at the potential to analyze physical traits such as leaf traits in the…
Perennial crops shape the soil microbial community and increase the soil carbon in the upper soil layer
Collaborators at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) released a paper that compares the impacts of perennial vs. annual crop growth on the diversity of soil microbes and accumulation…
What is the prospect of a perennial grain revolution of agriculture?
The Land Institute’s Tim Crews, Lee DeHaan, and Aubrey Streit Krug worked alongside international research colleagues from Sweden, Denmark, and France to release a comprehensive new paper in the journal Global…
Exploring the rhizosphere of perennial wheat: potential for plant growth promotion and biocontrol applications
Perennial grain researchers from the University of Parma in Italy published a paper exploring the potential of perennial wheat to host a rich community of beneficial bacteria in soil, promoting…
Assessing genetic gain in an intermediate wheatgrass improvement program: A retrospective analysis
Research collaborators at the University of Minnesota conducted an analysis of intermediate wheatgrass, the perennial crop that produces Kernza® grain, to gather insights for breeding programs looking to improve the…
Disease resistance gene count increases with rainfall in Silphium integrifolium
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, including The Land Institute’s Kelsey Peterson (Whiting), sequenced R genes (a category of plant disease resistance genes) in several wild populations of silphium integrifolium,…
Improving complex agronomic and domestication traits in the perennial grain crop intermediate wheatgrass with genetic mapping and genomic prediction
Intermediate wheatgrass, the grass that produces Kernza® perennial grain, is being domesticated for its potential as a human food that also delivers notable ecological benefits. Research partners at the University…
A Perennial Green Revolution to address 21st-century food insecurity and malnutrition
Researchers at Colorado State University published a paper discussing the benefits of pursuing a “Perennial Green Revolution” where the further development of perennial grains like Kernza®, silflower (a perennial oilseed…
Lignin, extractives and structural carbohydrate characteristics of Thinopyrum intermedium biomass reveal additional valorization opportunities for dual-crop utilization
Lee DeHaan, Lead Scientist in the Kernza Domestication Program, and researchers at the University of Kentucky-Lexington published a study analyzing the potential for intermediate wheatgrass biomass to serve as a…