What happened to perennial wheat?

[nxy]

Some twenty years ago I remember reading how we wouldn't need to plant wheat every year by about now, it would grow back every year they just needed to perfect the breeding. What happened?

 

[CornishTone]

They’re still perfecting the breeding!

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

It's called Kernsa but is low yielding and I think is only feed quality. Just how the trade wants it.

Don't expect it to be developed. It will need far less expenditure in the way of inputs and establishment.

 

[som farmer]

It's called Kernsa but is low yielding and I think is only feed quality. Just how the trade wants it.

Don't expect it to be developed. It will need far less expenditure in the way of inputs and establishment.

just like a lot of modern wheats of today, yields haven't increased much over the last 20+yrs, but the bloody inputs have.
Wonder how much profit is in the sprays .............

but it will come, climate change will demand it.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

just like a lot of modern wheats of today, yields haven't increased much over the last 20+yrs, but the bloody inputs have.
Wonder how much profit is in the sprays .............

but it will come, climate change will demand it.

It's exactly the kind of project that public money could be spent on developing. The trade has kept it pretty quiet so far and would probably lobby very hard to stop it.

 

[Boysground]

I remember going to a conference with a speaker discussing GM at lest 20 years ago. He was talking the possibility of crossing wheat with a legume and also drought tolerance.

Bg

 

[farmerm]

They’re still perfecting the breeding!

More like smothering the breeding… there is really no business case for plant breeders to replace annual seed sales with a sell it once business model!!

 

[som farmer]

the nutty professors could easily work it out, look at everything they have fecked up, this one is for the good, so probably no money to be made from it, and who pays those nutty professors...............

 

[Nearly]

Have you not seen 'The Man in the White Suit'?

The Man in the White Suit (1951) ⭐ 7.3 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

1h 25m | U

www.imdb.com

It should be day 1 viewing for economics students.

 

[BRB John]

Is it not a matter of GM and because it has to be GM to work then that's a big no no currently.
I suspect if anything it would require more fertiliser as not only would it need to produce a high yield but also maintain it's roots for next year too.

Also you'd still have to spray it so the chemical corps would still get their slice of the cake...

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Is it not a matter of GM and because it has to be GM to work then that's a big no no currently.
I suspect if anything it would require more fertiliser as not only would it need to produce a high yield but also maintain it's roots for next year too.

Also you'd still have to spray it so the chemical corps would still get their slice of the cake...

AFAIK, Kernza is not GM. Its root structure is many (like 30+) times bigger than a normal wheat plant.

It would definitely need fewer herbicides. Weeds just wouldn't get a look in.

kernza roots - Google Search

 

[czechmate]

More like smothering the breeding… there is really no business case for plant breeders to replace annual seed sales with a sell it once business model!!

the man in the white suit

 

[Henarar]

It only lasted a year

 

[czechmate]

Some twenty years ago I remember reading how we wouldn't need to plant wheat every year by about now, it would grow back every year they just needed to perfect the breeding. What happened?

Ive been looking out for it for years, it could be the perfect semi retirement

 

[czechmate]

Some twenty years ago I remember reading how we wouldn't need to plant wheat every year by about now, it would grow back every year they just needed to perfect the breeding. What happened?

looking at those Google pictures, all those drainage pipe you have pulled in would get filled with roots