Performing Department
Plants Soils & Climate
Non Technical Summary
The majority of US organic wheat is produced in western States, but farm viability is increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change, leading to declining yields, poor soil health, increasing weed pressure, and periods of droughts and flooding. The long-term goal of this integrated research and Extension project is to develop economically viable and environmentally sustainable dryland grain systems in the face of climate change. To meet this goal, we have two main objectives. The first is to integrate perennial wheat and forages into our long-term on-farm research sites devoted to testing and showcasing organic dryland wheat management strategies and assess the income potential of Kernza, as a product and in carbon markets. The second is to work with Extension faculty, agronomists, growers, and federal agency personnel to enhance the ability of agricultural producers to grow productive, high quality, sustainable, and profitable dryland organic annual and perennial grains and forages. Outreach efforts, guided by input from our Advisory Council, will target producers, Extension personnel, and agricultural professionals who advise producers on organic practices through in-person events (on-farm trials, field tours, winter meetings), printed materials (Extension publications and analysis tools), and digital resources (webinars, webpages, and web-based videos). Perennial wheat combined with low-rates of compost could help diversity organic grain systems for improved water use efficiency, soil health, soil carbon stocks, weed management, and economic viability in the western U.S.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
45%
Applied
55%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overall, long-term goalsof this project are to develop resilient dryland grain based cropping systems for the Western US in the face of climate change by: 1) integrating Kernza and or other perennial grains into our long-term on-farm research sites devoted to testing and showcasing organic dryland wheat management strategies for increased water use efficiency, soil health, wheat yield and quality, weed dynamics, and economic viability in the western U.S., and 2) working with county Extension personnel, agronomists, growers, and federal agency personnel to enhance the ability of agricultural producers to grow productive, high quality, sustainable, and profitable dryland organic grains. We will work towards these goals through the following specific objectives:1. Compare yields and profitability of annual organic wheat systems (wheat fallow or wheat cover crop depending on site and grower interest) with perennial systems (Kernza, Salish Blue, alfalfa and drought tolerant grasses).2. Measure improvements in soil health, carbon stocks and resilience to drought and weed pressure from integrating Kernza with lower rates of compost.3. Increase adoption and sustainability of organic wheat production through education and outreach programs including tools to aid decision making by growers on the economic viability of applying compost and integrating perennial grains into organic dryland wheat systems.
Project Methods
Objective A: Treatments will compare compost rate as the whole plot, year of compost application as the split plot, and Kernza as the split-split plot with four replicates and compare the effect of compost to conventional fertilizer. A locally adapted wheat cultivar will be grown every other year in the wheat-fallow rotation. Sites will be under conventional tillage and wheat will be planted at 150 to 200 live kernels/m2/a in fall. Plots will be harvested with a small plot combine. Kernza will be planted in April at a seeding rate of 17 kg/ha. Stands will be mown in the fall to simulate grazing.Grower Demonstration Trials: Growers will select one novel treatment e.g. perennial grains, cover crops or intercrops to compare to their standard practice with and without compost for a total of four treatments each and four replicates. Plots will be sized appropriately to accommodate full-scale equipment. Growers who have cattle will incorporate grazing after or in lieu of grain harvest. Three long-term unreplicated demonstration sites will be monitored for yields. An on-farm replicated trial where compost was applied once in 1994 will also be monitored. Each year, growers will be consulted on their perceptions and asked to evaluate the new management strategy compared to their traditional strategies in terms of benefits and drawbacks.Weed, Wheat and Kernza Growth: Plots will be evaluated for weed and crop growth in May of each year. The plant canopy will be assessed using a ceptometer to measure photosynthetically active radiation at three locations per plot. Weed, wheat and perennial crop densities will be measured by counting plant numbers in three, randomly placed quadrats per plot. Biomass will be collected in June by harvesting 1.0-m2 per plot, separating weeds, cover crops, forage and wheat, recording the fresh weight of each and drying a small sub-sample to use in calculating dry weight. Root biomass will be estimated by excavating three crowns per plot (Strullu et al. 2011).Wheat Yield and Grain and Forage Quality: Wheat and Kernza growth will be determined by measuring tillers per plant on 10 randomly selected plants per plot, heads per plant, seeds per head and 1000 kernel weight immediately prior to harvest. Wheat yields will be determined by harvesting with a plot combine. Quality measurements will include test weight, protein, 2 g mixograph, and lactic acid sedimentation. Annual and perennial cover crops will be assessed for forage quality including total N and neutral detergent fiber.Multi-State Perennial Grain Variety Trials: A minimum of six cultivars and advanced breeding lines of Kernza and perennial wheat will be compared to improved drought tolerant grasses. The trials will be established in year one with compost as the whole plot and cultivar as the subplot. Harvest will occur at maturity with a small plot combine and or forage harvester. Phenotypic measurements will include stand establishment and winter survival, height, heading date, yield and previously mentioned end-use quality tests.Economic Analysis of Cropping Systems: Market perceptions, needs, and pricing by market will be assessed through in-person surveys and interviews and will be analyzed with econometric techniques coupled with an in-depth consumer analysis of perceptions and preferences for Kenza/perennial grains in consumer products. We will also look at the most effective ways to inform consumers as well as effective promotion strategies for marketers. This data will be collected through national consumer surveys and local behavioral experiments. The long-term return on investment to compost across the study area will also be assessed. This will entail completing multi-year cost and return studies to determine the long-term financial effects of investments in compost. The economic analysis will include a risk and return analysis for various strategies utilizing stochastic simulation methods. A cost-benefit analysis of all wheat systems under trial will be completed, which will include creating partial cost and return studies by system.Objective B:Soil Health and Fertility: Soil health will be assessed in all treatments and locations over time and compared to current practices. All standard soil tests will be completed using methods described in Soil and Plant Reference Methods for the Western Region (Gavlak et al. 2003). Sites will be sampled in April during the wheat or perennial phase of the rotations at 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm depth and analyzed for nitrate, ammonium and Olsen P, dissolved organic C and N, and TOC and N. TOC and TN, readily mineralizable C, basal respiration and microbial biomass according to Anderson & Domsch (1978); dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzyme activities (Tabatabai 1994) and aggregate stability (Kemper & Rosenau 2006) will be conducted at 0-10cm. Olsen K, DTPA-extractable elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn); EC and pH will be assessed at 0-30cm at the end of the project.Soil Moisture and Temperature: Profile soil moisture will be measured at planting and on a monthly basis from March through June of each wheat and perennial crop at all sites using a 503 DR Hydroprobe neutron scattering device. Topsoil moisture, temperature and electrical conductivity will be measured daily during the growing season with TDR-315 probes. Probes will be installed at three depths (2.5, 5, and 15 cm) in four replicates and four treatments.Carbon Market Potential: Harnessing Kernza's carbon sequestration capabilities opens up opportunities to engage in carbon offset markets. We will leverage existing market prices for carbon emissions permits obtained from platforms like the EU Emission Trading System, the US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or the California Carbon Allowance markets, as well as voluntary carbon offsets from organizations like Carbonfund.org Foundation. This information will be compiled comprehensively, establishing a distribution of current carbon price estimates and correlated to prices with the greenhouse gas reductions achieved through Kernza adoption.Objective C: Assessing needs and barriers to adoption: An investigation will be conducted of strategies to improve producer adoption of the most economically beneficial compost application rates and cropping strategies. This will include conducting in-depth interviews of both current and potential organic and perennial wheat producers to gauge perceived adoption hurdles and concerns and assessing needed information and preferred delivery methods concerning study outcomes.Field days and winter grower meetings: Field days will showcase different organic wheat management practices on both grower and university farms. Results will be presented at winter crop workshops annually. A multi-regional conference with invited speakers and a grower panel on organic wheat systems will be held in year four. Time will be designated after the conclusion of the public events to deliver additional training and resources. We anticipate that approximately 10-40% of attendees will be Extension personnel or other professionals who advise growers on organic practices. One field tour/workshop in year 3 or 4 will be an in-service training to target Extension educators.Digital resources: Delivery of our research findings to a broader audience will be supported through USU Extension Marketing, the new USDA Transitions to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) and a public website (extension.usu.edu/certifiedorganic/) to post research results and publications, support the delivery of webinars and broadcasts, and support social media channels (@USUcrops on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook). The production of short (1-3 min) videos on dryland wheat production will also be published to YouTube and embedded in the website.