Kernza is a nutritious grain commercially used in some small niche-market health foods and products such as bread, cookies and beer. However, the crop has downsides that prevent widespread adoption. Kernza is expensive, costing buyers 10 to 20 times more than wheat because its yields are currently less than half of a typical wheat crop. Like other perennials, Kernza’s annual yield decreases over time. While current breeding techniques have increased Kernza’s viability as a potentially profitable crop, it would take researchers another 20 years to match wheat yields using these methods. To be a wide-scale, sustainable crop, scientists must breed a crop variety with increased and consistent yields from year to year on a faster timeline.
University of Minnesota researchers, led by Dr. James Anderson, are developing techniques to speed breed high-yield and disease-resistant varieties of Kernza. Researchers are evaluating varieties of Kernza based on seed size and number as well as plant structures, which increase yield. The team is also developing new genetic fingerprinting technology to facilitate genomic selection that allows researchers to screen Kernza for traits while the plant is still a seedling. The tool enables predictive selection of seedling plants for further breeding, unlike traditional techniques that select from fully grown plants, requiring years of evaluation.
“This project represents a collaboration of all three U.S. breeding programs working to improve Kernza, the University of Minnesota, The Land Institute and USDA-ARS in Logan, Utah, in addition to scientists at Kansas State University to share germplasm, genomics resources and knowledge to accelerate genetic gains and bring improved varieties to market faster,” says Dr. Anderson.
In addition to investigating breeding methods for high yields and disease resistance, the researchers are also identifying Kernza varieties that can grow in diverse environments, ensuring Kernza can be a global crop. As an added benefit, the fingerprinting technology developed for the study will be free of intellectual property rights, allowing low-cost genetic mapping of other grains. The results of this research provide a path for Kernza and other perennials to become resilient, inexpensive crops for farmers that can meet the needs of growing populations.
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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.
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