Post-Harvest Management Practices Impact on Light Penetration and Kernza Intermediate Wheatgrass Yield Components

Abstract

Kernza intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is the first commercially developed perennial grain crop in North America, with multiple environmental and economic benefits. One of the major challenges for adoption of this dual-use forage and grain crop is the decline in grain yield in subsequent harvest years. Post-harvest management practices (e.g., chopping, burning, chemical, and mechanical thinning) could reduce the intraspecific competition for light and maintain Kernza grain yields over time. We aimed to identify management practices that improve light penetration and propose a conceptual model to explain the mechanisms contributing to Kernza grain yield. We applied 10 management practices after the first Kernza grain harvest in a randomized complete block design experiment with three replications, at two different locations in Wisconsin, USA. Light penetration increased when post-harvest management practices were applied. Mechanical or chemical thinning had relatively lower lodging and increased yield components per row, but not per area due to a reduction in the number of productive rows. Threshed grain yield per area in the second year of Kernza was similar among the treatments despite the differences in vegetative biomass generated. Further research is needed to optimize management practices to maintain Kernza grain yield over time.