Morphometric approaches to promote the use of exotic germplasm for improved food security and resilience to climate change: a kura clover example
Adaptation of agriculture to climate change and its associated ecological pressures will require new crops, novel trait combinations, and previously unknown phenotypic attributes to deploy in climate resilient cropping systems….
Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza (Thinopyrum intermedium): An overview
Abstract: Perennial crops have been proposed as a more sustainable alternative to annual crops, because they have extended growing seasons, continuous ground cover, reduced nutrient leakage, and sequester more carbon…
Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for Forage Traits in Intermediate Wheatgrass When Grown as Spaced-Plants versus Monoculture and Polyculture Swards
Abstract: It has been hypothesized that the genetic control of forage traits, especially biomass, for grass plants growing as spaced-plants versus swards is different. Likewise, the genetic control of compatibility…
Assessment of the biogeographical variation of seed size and seed oil traits in wild Silphium integrifolium Michx. genotypes
Silphium spp. have garnered interest in Europe as a bioenergy crop and in North America as a perennial oilseed crop. However, very little has been done at this early stage of…
Characterization of Genetic Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight and Bacterial Leaf Streak in Intermediate Wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium)
Abstract: Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG, Thinopyrum intermedium, (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey subsp. intermedium, 2n = 6x = 42) is a novel perennial crop currently undergoing domestication efforts. It offers remarkable…
Integrating Multipurpose Perennial Grains Crops in Western European Farming Systems
Western European agriculture is largely defined by the high level of productivity of its cereal grain production. Such productivity is largely a result of farm specialization and intensification. This approach…
Genome mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling domestication traits of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium)
Abstract Allohexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), abbreviated IWG, is an outcrossing perennial grass belonging to the tertiary gene pool of wheat. Perenniality would be valuable option for grain production,…
Building a botanical foundation for perennial agriculture: Global inventory of wild, perennial herbaceous Fabaceae species
Agroecosystems are constantly evolving to meet the needs of a growing population in a sustainable manner. Concerns about ecological impacts of agriculture, including soil loss, have focused attention on crops…
Cover crop species affect mycorrhizae-mediated nutrient uptake and pest resistance in maize
Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase plant nutrient uptake and chemical defense production, both of which can improve plants’ ability to resist insect herbivory. Cover crops—non-commercial species planted in…
Reduced nitrate leaching in a perennial grain crop compared to maize in the Upper Midwest, USA
Abstract: Global expansion of high-input annual grain crops and associated nitrogen (N) fertilizer use can have negative consequences for the environment and human health. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) leaching from fertilized…
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…
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…