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Category: Research Roundup

Into The Weeds

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

Below the Surface: soil health and perenniality

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

DON Update

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

Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza<sup>®</sup>

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®

Watch the 2020 Kernza<sup>®</sup> Meeting

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

Perennial Progress at University of Minnesota

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

Journey from Prairie Grass to Food

Product Highlight, Research Roundup

Madeline Ostrander writes in The Nation that Kernza® is “The Grain that Tastes Like Wheat, but Grows Like a Prairie Grass.” From obtaining seed samples from The Rodale Institute, to the breeding efforts of Lee DeHaan with Thinopyrum intermedium, to food use by early adopters such as the Birchwood Café, Madeline traces the history leading … Continue reading Journey from Prairie Grass to Food