Validating the Introduction of Kernza in the Nordic reGion VIKING

In the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, grain and forage production based on annual cereal crops are often resource and tillage-demanding with a range of negative environmental and soil health consequences.

Perennial vegetation has been suggested to improve the capacity of agricultural landscapes to provide valuable ecosystem services, while simultaneously producing enough food, fibre, fuel and bioenergy. Moreover, yields of annual cereal crops are severely affected by the increasing temperature following climate change.

Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial cereal crop under development at the Land Institute in Kansas, USA, and is trademarked as the cereal grain Kernza®. Several environmental and ecological benefits have been confirmed for IWG.

As IWG produces both forage and grain, there are potentially different ways to manage the crop, which affect the yield and quality of the products.

It is necessary to investigate the optimal agronomic management practices to optimise grain yield, forage yield, and forage quality.

The main aim of this project is to develop a strong research platform for perennial cereal production systems in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

The interactive responses of productivity from regional growing conditions, intercropping, fertilisation rates, as well as harvest regimes in forage production will be studied. The results will be applicable to other locations with similar conditions in terms of soil and climatic conditions.