Grain crops make up 50% of farmland and human calories globally and are a critical component to the farming economy in the Upper Midwest. However, the major grain crops of the world are annuals and are associated with a number of negative environmental consequences. Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial, cool-season forage grass that has been bred for large seed size and yield so that it can be used as a grain crop called Kernza®. The large root system of intermediate wheatgrass supports its perennial growth habit while providing improved ecosystem services compared to annuals.
Click on the links below to learn more about past and current Kernza research projects.
Establishment - Seeding date and depth
- Research paper - effects of seeding date on Kernza grain yields
- Research poster - effects of seeding depth on intermediate wheatgrass emergence and biomass
Fertility - Optimum nitrogen fertilizer rates
- Optimum nitrogen fertilizer rates for Kernza yield
- Effects of nitrogen fertilizer rate, type (organic vs. synthetic) and row spacing on Kernza yields
- Effects of nitrogen fertilizer rate and timing on Kernza yields
Dual-use potential - Grazing and forage harvest
- Forage potential of intermediate wheatgrass harvest in spring and fall in a dual-use system
- Effects of spring and fall forage harvest on Kernza yields
- Forage potential of intermediate wheatgrass when harvested at different times and under different intensities
- Effects of fall grazing on Kernza yields
- Effects of spring and fall mob grazing on Kernza yields
Maintaining long-term grain yields
- Strip tillage, mowing, and prescribed fire to maintain Kernza yields as stands age
Rotations
- Effects of intermediate wheatgrass on soil health properties while transitioning to organic production
- Effects of termination method of intermediate wheatgrass on soil health and greenhouse gas emissions
Improving drinking water quality
- Intermediate wheatgrass reduces nitrate leaching to groundwater
- Comparing crop yields and soil water nitrate beneath Kernza and a corn-soybean rotation
- Kernza yields and soil water nitrate levels on a sandy soil under irrigated and dryland conditions
Intermediate wheatgrass growth and development
- Changes in Kernza seed size and moisture during ripening
- Allocation of intermediate wheatgrass biomass to leaf, stem, and grain through time