Soil carbon scientists are actively researching how much additional carbon Kernza® perennial grain crops can sequester following conversion from an annual grain crop in different geographies. Kernza® Carbon Planner is a new estimation platform for farmers, food and beverage producers, and policymakers to project reliable, scientifically-backed soil carbon sequestration modeling data for Kernza® perennial grain. The United States county-level modeling system will estimate the yearly average amount of soil carbon sequestered in a five-year Kernza® rotation following a transition from an annual grain crop (wheat and corn). The model simulations use data and management information from the USDA National Resource Inventory and DayCent Ecosystem Model, which the USDA’s COMET-Planner and COMET-Farm also use. The simulations report to the US national greenhouse gas inventory from cropland. The simulation data, data sources, and method are published in Nature.

Created through a collaboration between The Land Institute and Colorado State University with Kernza® perennial grain soil carbon sequestration data from the Kernza®CAP project, the model estimates the yearly average amount of carbon sequestered during a five-year Kernza crop rotation following a transition from an annual grain crop (wheat and corn). The estimate occurs at the US county level, similar to the USDA’s COMET Planner, and enables users to:

• Estimate the average amount of carbon sequestered on a farm in most counties where wheat or corn are grown in the United States.
• Estimate the carbon sequestered per kg of grain if on-farm grain yield is known.
• Conduct individual Kernza® perennial grain product lifecycle assessments.

The Kernza® Carbon Planner is currently the best tool for estimating the average amount of carbon sequestered on a farm in Kernza® perennial grain cropping systems. While the forecast is intended for initial planning purposes, and site-specific conditions need to be independently evaluated for a more detailed assessment of carbon sequestration dynamics on a particular farm, the model represents the best-known tool to date. As scientists complete current and future planned research, they hope to translate the Kernza® Carbon Planner into a site-specific farm-scale model.

For more on published Kernza perennial grain carbon sequestration data:

• Laura K. van der Pol, Brian Nester, Brandon Schlautman, Timothy E. Crews, & M. Francesca Cotrufo (2022). Perennial grain Kernza® fields have higher particulate organic carbon at depth than annual grain fields. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 102(4): 1005–1009. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2022-0026
• Kalyn Taylor, Sandipan Samaddar, Radomir Schmidt, Mark Lundy, & Kate Scow (2023). Soil carbon storage and compositional responses of soil microbial communities under perennial grain IWG vs. annual wheat. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol 184, 109111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109111