Our goal with perennial grains is to develop commercially viable perennial food and feed grains. Over the past 10,000 years, humans have increasingly relied on cereals and other grains to provide a stable source of food. Today, grains (cereals, pulses and other seeds) provide about 70% of our food worldwide and occupy about 70% of agricultural lands.

field of maturing Intermediate wheatgrass
Field of intermediate wheatgrass.
Photo courtesy of The Land Institute.

As our early ancestors selected plants with more and bigger seeds, for ease of cultivation, and for taste and nutrition, their big successes were with annual forms. Wild perennial edible grains were always available, but the annual forms were the most responsive to selection as a food crop. We recognize that cultivated perennial grains have advantages over their annual relatives. Deep root systems of perennial grasses and forbs protect and maintain soils, and help to manage water and nutrients. Fewer passes with tractors saves on costly inputs and reduces consumption of fossil fuels.

perennial wheatgrass roots in four seasons of the year
Perennial wheatgrass roots compared to annual wheat roots in four seasons of the year.
Photo courtesy of The Land Institute.

Journal Articles

Glover J.D, et. al. 2010. Increased food and ecosystem security via perennial grains. Science 328.5986: 1638-1639.

Glover J.D. and J.P. Reganold. 2010. Perennial grains: food security for the future. Issues in Science and Technology, winter 2010:41-47.


Fortunately, through modern genetics and breeding programs we can produce a new generation of perennial edible grain crops in a few decades, and perhaps sooner for some important grains. Keys to achieving our goal are: 1) plant breeding; 2) agronomic research; and 3) development of commercial products and associated businesses. The plans and programs for getting perennial grains on the landscape are specific to the species.

There are active programs to breed perennial forms of many common crops, including wheat, rice, sunflower, and sorghum. These programs started from hybridizing the crop with a wild relative, with the goal of combining the perennial feature of wild species with the desirable agronomic characteristics of the crop, such as high yield and ease of mechanical harvesting.

An alternate approach to breeding perennial crops starts with perennial species that show promise as crops and successively selects and promotes from each generation the plants that have the best agronomic characteristics. Intermediate wheatgrass shows great promise as a perennial crop; it has a highly edible seed and has responded well to selection for increased yields.

Other perennial species showing promise as food crops include Illinois bundleflower, Indian ricegrass, and Maximillian sunflower.

Articles

Paying for Perennialism: A Quest for Food and Funding. Sarah Whelchel and Elizabeth Popp Berman. Issues in Science and Technology, Fall 2011.

Developing perennial grains. Lee DeHaan. Issues in Science and Technology Forum, Fall 2011.

Investing in Perennial Crops to Sustainably Feed the World. Peter C. Kahn, Thomas Molnar, Gengyun G. Zhang, C. Reed Funk. Issues in Science and Technology, Summer 2011.