2017 SWCS Annual Conference July 30-August 2, 2017 Monona Terrace Convention Center

1. The Potential for Water Quality Benefits
from a New Perennial Grain Crop:
Intermediate Wheatgrass
Jacob Jungers
Research Assistant Professor, Dept. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, UMN

2. 3-10
> 10
Well water
NO3 (ppm)
Groundwater Nitrate Contamination
Minnesota Nitrate Issues
• 13% of wells exceeded
safe drinking limit
statewide
• 30% in central sand plains

3. Groundwater Nitrate Contamination

4. Nitrogen Fertilizer
Groundwater Groundwater
Groundwater
Nitrogen Leaching
Unsaturated Zone
Groundwater Nitrate Contamination

5. Nitrogen Fertilizer
Groundwater Groundwater
Groundwater
Unsaturated Zone
Groundwater Nitrate Contamination
Nitrogen Leaching

6. Intermediate Wheatgrass
Jerry Glover of The Land Institute: Photo by Jim
Richardson
Kernza®
• Relatively large seeds for a
perennial grass
• Deep, dense root system
• Tolerant to a wide range
of temperature and
precipitation patterns

7. Crookston
Lamberton
Waseca
• Three locations
• Three years (2013-
2015)
• Three crops
(Kernza,
Switchgrass, Corn)
• Variable N rates
Kernza Water Quality Research

8. Nitrogen fertilizer
Groundwater
Modeled Nitrate
Leaching
Corn Perennial Crops
• Kernza
• SwitchgrassPlantuptake
Plantuptake
Lysimeters (50 cm)
Moisture Sensors
(50 & 100 cm)
Kernza Water Quality Research

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0
20
40
60
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
Date
Soilwaternitrate(mgl-1
) ●
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Corn (160 kg N/ha)
Kernza (160 kg N/ha)
Switchgrass (160 kg N/ha)
2013
Kernza Water Quality Research

10. Kernza Water Quality Research
x
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
0 50 100 150 200
x
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
GrainYield(kgha-1)
Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate (kg ha-1)
Optimum N fertilizer rate: 61 kg ha-1
2013

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20
40
60 M
ay
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
Date
Soilwaternitrate(mgl-1
) ●
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Corn (160 kg N/ha)
Kernza (60 kg N/ha)
Switchgrass (120 kg N/ha)
2014
Kernza Water Quality Research

12. Kernza Water Quality Research
50 100
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn/soybean
Switchgrass
IWG
Waseca 2013

13. Kernza Water Quality Research
50 100
Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015
Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn (160 kg N/ha)
Switchgrass (160 kg N/ha)
Kernza (160 kg N/ha)
Waseca

14. Kernza Modeling
Objectives:
• Predict Kernza yields across soil and climate types
• Predict carbon emissions/sequestration of Kernza
• Predict nitrate leaching beneath Kernza
Aboveground Biomass
Calibration using 9 site-years of data.
Validation using 21 site-years of data.

15. 0
25
50
75
100
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Growing degree days (°C d)
Plantbiomass(g)
Rosemount 2016
Saint Paul 2015
Saint Paul 2016
Modeling Kernza Productivity
Parameterize crop simulation models with growth
and development data.

16. 0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
GDD
Fractionoftotalbiomass
Leaf
Stem
Inflorescence
Modeling Kernza Productivity
Parameterize crop simulation models with growth
and development data.

17. Modeling Kernza Productivity
2013 2014
100 150 200 250 300 100 150 200 250 300
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Day
WFPS
Code
Field50
Model20
Model40
Kernza soil moisture
DNDC soil moisture simulation

18. Kernza Commercialization

19. Kernza Commercialization
General Mills, Inc. publically announces commitment to
use Kernza

20. Acknowledgments
Faculty Collaborators
• Craig Sheaffer, Lee DeHaan, Nancy Ehlke, Don Wyse
Post-doctoral Collaborator
• Nicole Tautges
Technicians and Graduate Students
• Lindsay Wilson, Brett Heim, Kevin Betts, Charlie
Frahm
Funding
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• The Land Institute and Malone Family Foundation
• The University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative

21. Questions

22. Nitrogen Fertilizer
Groundwater Groundwater
Groundwater
Nitrogen Leaching
Unsaturated Zone
Corn Nitrogen Fertilizer Use

23. Kernza and water quality
Jungers et al., in prep
50 100Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn/soybean
Switchgrass
IWG
Crookston

24. Kernza and water quality
Jungers et al., in prep
50 100Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn/soybean
Switchgrass
IWG
Lamberton

25. Kernza and water quality
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0.0
0.1
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M
ay
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
O
ct
N
ov
D
ecDate
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
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Corn
Kernza
Switchgrass
100 cm depth
Jungers et al., in prep

26. Kernza and water quality
Jungers et al., in prep
50 100Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015
Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn (160 kg N/ha)
Switchgrass (160 kg N/ha)
Kernza (160 kg N/ha)
Crookston

27. Kernza and water quality
Jungers et al., in prep
50 100Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015Jan
2016Jul2014O
ct2014Jan
2015Apr2015Jul2015O
ct2015Jan
2
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Date
Soilmoisture(m3
m-3
)
Corn (160 kg N/ha)
Switchgrass (160 kg N/ha)
Kernza (160 kg N/ha)
Lamberton

28. Objectives: Parameterize ‘DayCent’ crop and
carbon simulation model
Modeling Kernza GHG mitigation
4000
5000
6000
7000
4000 5000 6000 7000
Measured Kernza biomass (kg ha-1
)
ModeledKernzabiomass(kgha-1
)
R squared = 0.85; P value < 0.001
Aboveground Biomass
Calibration using 9 site-
years of data.
Validation using 21 site-
years of data.