AUTHOR=Chapman Elizabeth A. , Thomsen Hanne Cecilie , Tulloch Sophia , Correia Pedro M. P. , Luo Guangbin , Najafi Javad , DeHaan Lee R. , Crews Timothy E. , Olsson Lennart , Lundquist Per-Olof , Westerbergh Anna , Pedas Pai Rosager , Knudsen Søren , Palmgren Michael TITLE=Perennials as Future Grain Crops: Opportunities and Challenges JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.898769 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.898769 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=

Perennial grain crops could make a valuable addition to sustainable agriculture, potentially even as an alternative to their annual counterparts. The ability of perennials to grow year after year significantly reduces the number of agricultural inputs required, in terms of both planting and weed control, while reduced tillage improves soil health and on-farm biodiversity. Presently, perennial grain crops are not grown at large scale, mainly due to their early stages of domestication and current low yields. Narrowing the yield gap between perennial and annual grain crops will depend on characterizing differences in their life cycles, resource allocation, and reproductive strategies and understanding the trade-offs between annualism, perennialism, and yield. The genetic and biochemical pathways controlling plant growth, physiology, and senescence should be analyzed in perennial crop plants. This information could then be used to facilitate tailored genetic improvement of selected perennial grain crops to improve agronomic traits and enhance yield, while maintaining the benefits associated with perennialism.