Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year
The intensive cultivation practices of annual cereal crops have been causing unprecedented degradation of natural resources. Perennial crops such as intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) could provide numerous benefits to address these issues, but there is still little comprehensive information about the es...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1528534/full |
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| author | M. Tomás Cassani Jessica L. Gutknecht Andrea Basche Nathaniel A. Brunsell Timothy E. Crews Steven Culman Leonardo Deiss Carrie A. M. Laboski Valentín Picasso Priscila Pinto Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini Nicole E. Tautges Laura K. van der Pol Jacob M. Jungers |
| author_facet | M. Tomás Cassani Jessica L. Gutknecht Andrea Basche Nathaniel A. Brunsell Timothy E. Crews Steven Culman Leonardo Deiss Carrie A. M. Laboski Valentín Picasso Priscila Pinto Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini Nicole E. Tautges Laura K. van der Pol Jacob M. Jungers |
| author_sort | M. Tomás Cassani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The intensive cultivation practices of annual cereal crops have been causing unprecedented degradation of natural resources. Perennial crops such as intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) could provide numerous benefits to address these issues, but there is still little comprehensive information about the establishment, fertilization needs, or range of IWG productivity on a regional basis in the first production year, which can be the highest over the lifespan of IWG’s grain production. The objective of this study was to evaluate how IWG establishment and first-year grain and forage yields varied across soil types, climate conditions, and in response ten fertilization treatments at six locations in the Midwestern USA. The 10 treatments included N fertilizer application at 5 rates; N application with or without P or K; varied timing of N application, and varied N fertilizer source. We found that fertilization influenced summer and fall forage yields but not grain yields. We also found that grain and forage yields varied greatly between locations, ranging from 556–1343 kg ha-1 for grain yields, 3732–8930 kg ha-1 for summer forage, and 927–3561 kg ha-1 for fall forage yields. Using a multiple linear regression approach, we found that a combination of local edaphic soil and climate factors explained 74%, 92%, and 69% of variance in grain, summer forage, and fall forage yields, respectively. Anomalies in expected and actual yields across locations led us to identify potential critical periods for IWG grain and forage production. We found accumulated precipitation in the 60 days before anthesis explained the most variance in grain and summer forage yields while the accumulated precipitation from May through October explained the most variance in fall forage yields. These findings are a first step toward identifying the regional expectations for IWG yields and could inform grower management and decisions regarding grain and forage harvest. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77f091cb391c4ab3a9acf6ef8d4e15ae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-3218 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-77f091cb391c4ab3a9acf6ef8d4e15ae2025-08-20T03:29:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Agronomy2673-32182025-06-01710.3389/fagro.2025.15285341528534Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment yearM. Tomás Cassani0Jessica L. Gutknecht1Andrea Basche2Nathaniel A. Brunsell3Timothy E. Crews4Steven Culman5Leonardo Deiss6Carrie A. M. Laboski7Valentín Picasso8Priscila Pinto9Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini10Nicole E. Tautges11Laura K. van der Pol12Jacob M. Jungers13The Land Institute, Salina, KS, United StatesDepartment of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, United StatesDepartment of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United StatesDepartment of Geography and Atmospheric Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United StatesThe Land Institute, Salina, KS, United StatesCentral Oregon Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, Madras, OR, United StatesDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Colins, CO, United StatesUSDA ARS Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, PA, United StatesDepartment of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United StatesDepartment of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United StatesDepartment of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United StatesMichael Fields Agricultural Institute, East Troy, WI, United StatesThe Land Institute, Salina, KS, United States0Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, United StatesThe intensive cultivation practices of annual cereal crops have been causing unprecedented degradation of natural resources. Perennial crops such as intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) could provide numerous benefits to address these issues, but there is still little comprehensive information about the establishment, fertilization needs, or range of IWG productivity on a regional basis in the first production year, which can be the highest over the lifespan of IWG’s grain production. The objective of this study was to evaluate how IWG establishment and first-year grain and forage yields varied across soil types, climate conditions, and in response ten fertilization treatments at six locations in the Midwestern USA. The 10 treatments included N fertilizer application at 5 rates; N application with or without P or K; varied timing of N application, and varied N fertilizer source. We found that fertilization influenced summer and fall forage yields but not grain yields. We also found that grain and forage yields varied greatly between locations, ranging from 556–1343 kg ha-1 for grain yields, 3732–8930 kg ha-1 for summer forage, and 927–3561 kg ha-1 for fall forage yields. Using a multiple linear regression approach, we found that a combination of local edaphic soil and climate factors explained 74%, 92%, and 69% of variance in grain, summer forage, and fall forage yields, respectively. Anomalies in expected and actual yields across locations led us to identify potential critical periods for IWG grain and forage production. We found accumulated precipitation in the 60 days before anthesis explained the most variance in grain and summer forage yields while the accumulated precipitation from May through October explained the most variance in fall forage yields. These findings are a first step toward identifying the regional expectations for IWG yields and could inform grower management and decisions regarding grain and forage harvest.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1528534/fullperennial cropKernza®soil characteristicsecological intensificationnitrogen fertilityregional variance |
| spellingShingle | M. Tomás Cassani Jessica L. Gutknecht Andrea Basche Nathaniel A. Brunsell Timothy E. Crews Steven Culman Leonardo Deiss Carrie A. M. Laboski Valentín Picasso Priscila Pinto Roberta Bianchin Rebesquini Nicole E. Tautges Laura K. van der Pol Jacob M. Jungers Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year Frontiers in Agronomy perennial crop Kernza® soil characteristics ecological intensification nitrogen fertility regional variance |
| title | Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| title_full | Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| title_fullStr | Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| title_full_unstemmed | Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| title_short | Productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| title_sort | productivity of intermediate wheatgrass responds more to local soil and climate factors than fertility treatments in the first establishment year |
| topic | perennial crop Kernza® soil characteristics ecological intensification nitrogen fertility regional variance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1528534/full |
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