Discussion: Prioritize perennial grain development for sustainable food production and environmental benefits

Authors: DEHAAN, LEE - The Land Institute; ANDERSON, JAMES - University Of Minnesota; BAJGAIN, PRABIN - University Of Minnesota; BASCHE, ANDREA - University Of Nebraska; CATTANI, DOUGLAS - University Of Manitoba; CRAIN, JARED - Kansas State University; CREWS, TIMOTHY - The Land Institute; DAVID, CHRISTOPHE - University Of Lyon; DUCHENE, OLIVER - University Of Lyon; GUTKNECHT, JESSICA - University Of Minnesota; HAYES, RICHARD - Nsw Department Of Primary Industries; HU, FENGYI - Yunnan University; JUNGERS, JACOB - University Of Minnesota; KNUDSEN, SØREN - Carlsberg Research Laboratory; KONG, WENQIAN - University Of Georgia; Larson, Steven; LUNDQUIST, PER-OLOF - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences; LUO, GUANGBIN - University Of Copenhagen; MILLER, ALLISON - Danforth Plant Science Center; NABUKALU, PHEONAH - University Of Georgia; NEWELL, MATTHEW - Nsw Department Of Primary Industries; OLSSON, LENNART - Lund University; PALMGREN, MICHAEL - University Of Copenhagen; PATERSON, ANDREW - University Of Georgia; PICASSO, VALENTIN - University Of Wisconsin; POLAND, JESSE - King Abdullah University Of Science And Technology; SACKS, ERIK - University Of Illinois; WANG, S - The Land Institute; WESTERBERGH, A - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Science of the Total Environment
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2023
Publication Date: 6/17/2023
Citation: DeHaan, L.R., Anderson, J.A., Bajgain, P., Basche, A., Cattani, D.J., Crain, J., Crews, T.E., David, C., Duchene, O., Gutknecht, J., Hayes, R.C., Hu, F., Jungers, J., Knudsen, S., Kong, W., Larson, S.R., Lundquist, P., Luo, G., Miller, A.J., Nabukalu, P., Newell, M.T., Olsson, L., Palmgren, M., Paterson, A.H., Picasso, V., Poland, J., Sacks, E.J., Wang, S., Westerbergh, A. 2023. Discussion: Prioritize perennial grain development for sustainable food production and environmental benefits. Science of the Total Environment. 895. Article 164975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164975.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164975

Interpretive Summary: If fully developed and widely planted, perennial grain crops would have an unprecedented potential to achieve goals of sustainable intensification of agriculture by producing abundant grain and forage while simultaneously regenerating soil health, sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, reducing costs for growers, promoting efficient nutrient cycling, and increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the long period of time required to develop new crops and uncertainty of success has constrained investment, and only a few small breeding efforts have been actively working over the past 20 years. Without evidence of progress, funders will be reluctant to expand investment in perennial grains. We used data from six replicated trials designed to evaluate breeding progress in the nascent perennial grain intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) and found the increase in grain yield per generation of breeding was 40 kg ha-1 or greater. Perennial rice breeding has now produced long-lived varieties with yield and quality resembling annual rice. Modern technologies in plant breeding, including low-cost DNA sequencing, genomic selection, and genome editing, provide opportunities to rapidly develop perennial crops through domestication of wild perennials or hybridization of annual grains with perennial relatives. In intermediate wheatgrass, genomic selection with two cycles per year could achieve yields similar to wheat in central Kansas within 17 years. By targeting optimal environments, new perennial grains with yields equivalent to annuals might be achieved even more quickly. Clear evidence of rapid progress, and opportunities for further acceleration with modern technologies, signal that perennial grains are ready for an expanded role in the global agricultural research portfolio.

Technical Abstract: If fully developed and widely planted, perennial grain crops would have an unprecedented potential to achieve goals of sustainable intensification by producing abundant grain and forage while simultaneously regenerating soil health, sequestering carbon, reducing purchased inputs, promoting efficient nutrient cycling, and increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the long development timespan and uncertainty of success has constrained investment, and only a few small breeding efforts have been actively working over the past 20 years. Without evidence of progress, funders will be reluctant to expand investment in perennial grains. We used data from six replicated trials designed to evaluate breeding progress in the nascent perennial grain intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) and found the increase in grain yield per breeding cycle was 40 kg ha-1 or greater. Perennial rice breeding has now produced long-lived varieties with yield and quality resembling annual rice. Modern technologies in plant breeding, including low-cost DNA sequencing, genomic selection, and genome editing, provide opportunities to rapidly develop perennial crops through domestication of wild perennials or hybridization of annual grains with perennial relatives. In intermediate wheatgrass, genomic selection with two cycles per year could achieve yields similar to wheat in central Kansas within 17 years. By targeting optimal environments, new perennial grains with yields equivalent to annuals might be achieved even more quickly. Clear evidence of rapid progress, and opportunities for further acceleration with modern technologies, signal that perennial grains are ready for an expanded role in the global agricultural research portfolio.