Research & Scientific Publications - Page 9
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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Is the Future of Agriculture Perennial? Imperatives & Opportunities to Reinvent Agriculture by Shifting from Annual Monocultures to Perennial Polycultures
Non-technical summary: Modern agriculture is associated with numerous environmental predicaments, such as land degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emission. Socio-economically, it is characterized by a treadmill of technological change, increased…
Two contrasting laboratory methods improve Silphium integrifolium Michx. germination rate to agronomically acceptable levels
Abstract: Organic dormancy, the inability to germinate under favorable conditions, is a common problem in many crop species and their wild relatives, leading to more variable emergence, plant density, and…
Maintaining grain yields of the perennial cereal intermediate wheatgrass in monoculture v. bi-culture with alfalfa in the Upper Midwestern USA
Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium; IWG) is a perennial cereal crop undergoing development for grain production; however, grain yield declines of >75% are often observed after year 2 of the perennial…
Transforming human life on our home planet, perennially
The development of agriculture is one of the key fault lines in human history, the starting point for the human project of dominating the planet. As the catastrophic consequences of…
Strategies, Advances, and Challenges in Breeding Perennial Grain Crops
Abstract: The development of new perennial crop species is gaining momentum as a promising approach to change the fundamental nature of ecosystem processes in agriculture. The ecological argument for perennial…
Nitrogen use efficiency is regulated by interacting proteins relevant to development in wheat
Summary: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) has low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The genetic mechanisms controlling NUE are unknown. Positional cloning of a major quantitative trait locus for N-related agronomic traits showed…
Managing Crops for Climate Change Can Also Manage Pests
The impacts of climate change are already being felt by farmers in many parts of the world. As such, it is important for us to determine which strategies may help…
Development and Evolution of an Intermediate Wheatgrass Domestication Program
Abstract: Ecological intensification of agriculture is a proposed strategy to enhance the production of food while expanding ecosystem services and reducing inputs. Perennial plants that are directly harvested for human…
Mapping of leaf rust resistance genes and molecular characterization of the 2NS/2AS translocation in the wheat cultivar Jagger
Abstract: Winter wheat cultivar ‘Jagger’ was recently found to have an alien chromosomal segment 2NS that has Lr37, a gene conferring resistance against leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina. The objective of…
The Performance of Early-Generation Perennial Winter Cereals at 21 Sites across Four Continents
Abstract: A network of 21 experiments was established across nine countries on four continents and spanning both hemispheres, to evaluate the relative performance of early generation perennial cereal material derived…
Managing for Multifunctionality in Perennial Grain Crops
Abstract: Plant breeders are increasing yields and improving agronomic traits in several perennial grain crops, the first of which is now being incorporated into commercial food products. Integration strategies and management…
Perennial Grain Legume Domestication Phase I: Criteria for Candidate Species Selection
Abstract: Annual cereal and legume grain production is dependent on inorganic nitrogen (N) and other fertilizers inputs to resupply nutrients lost as harvested grain, via soil erosion/runoff, and by other natural…