Research Roundup
Kernza® Perennial Grain: Early Commercialization Timeline This timeline details the key events and partnerships of early Kernza® perennial grain commercialization. It begins with Kernza’s entry into the market and includes events up to 2020. Click here to see the timeline!
Kernza® at work, Research Roundup
With the University of Minnesota – Applied Economics Department and the University of Minnesota Extension – Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Clean River Partners recently completed a study assessing consumer preferences for Kernza® food products. The study found that consumers are willing to pay up to $2.10 more for a 14 ounce package of Kernza … Continue reading Clean River Partners releases findings from its survey of consumer preferences for Kernza®
Event, Kernza® at work, Research Roundup
2021 Kernza® Call series rundown By Colin Cureton, Commercialization Team, UMN Forever Green Partnership A recent call series in February of 2021 for Kernza® Perennial grain stakeholders in the Upper Midwest covered a lot of ground in sharing the current state of Kernza® research, commercial activity, and Kernza®’s future direction. The calls were hosted by … Continue reading 2021 Kernza® Call Series Rundown
Research Roundup
Kernza® is a unique perennial grain with a nascent supply chain. No large-scale market research study has focused on the demand for products made with perennial crops, which can create uncertainty for growers and makers alike. Throughout the past few months, however, The Land Institute conducted preliminary research on the market for Kernza®, focusing on … Continue reading Kernza® Market Research
Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup
A summary of the paper entitled Effective weed suppression in dual‐use intermediate wheatgrass systems By: Joe Zimbric In September of 2015 a small quarter acre section of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station was planted with a cycle 4 variety of Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass. At that time, the small planting represented the first … Continue reading Into The Weeds
Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup
August is a busy time for both The Land Institute and Kernza® growers. As interns shuffle from the fields to the threshing rooms, growers all around the country are at various phases of harvesting their Kernza® plots. Amidst the activity, we are revisiting research pertaining to perennial crops’ ecosystems services. In the paper summarized here, … Continue reading Below the Surface: soil health and perenniality
Research Roundup
The fungus Fusarium graminearum can cause Fusarium head blight and produce DON toxin in Kernza® if favorable conditions (75-85oF with high moisture/humidity) occur during pollination and grain fill. The Land Institute conducted a small study in 2019 to test the effect of lodging and swathing on DON toxin levels. There was no effect of swathing … Continue reading DON Update
Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup
Perennial crops, like Kernza® varieties of intermediate wheatgrass, 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 in the soils than annual crops. In a recently published Plant Science paper, researchers dive deeper into the water and … Continue reading Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza®
Event, Research Roundup
Because the Kernza® community was unable to gather in person this year due to COVID-19, the annual Kernza® Meeting has moved online. You can explore the presentations on the agenda below. Final Kernza Agenda Each of the webinars will be uploaded and be accessible here, too! Day 1: Kayla Altendorf (UMN) – 00:03:08 Steve Larson … Continue reading Watch the 2020 Kernza® Meeting
Research Roundup
The University of Minnesota (UMN) Forever Green Initiative (FGI) achieved a milestone in 2019 with the release of the first official KernzaⓇ variety, named MN-Clearwater. UMN FGI is pleased to be an international leader along with The Land Institute and others in KernzaⓇ research and early commercialization efforts. Continuing progress, on February 13, 2020, FGI … Continue reading Perennial Progress at University of Minnesota