The objective of the CERPET project is to investigate the agronomic and environmental parameters of a perennial grain crop prototype for dual-use grain and forage production. The CERPET project focuses on the cultivation of improved accessions of intermediate wheatgrass, called Kernza. Research station plots and on-farm fields within a network of French farms are being used to collect data and analyse the opportunities or drawbacks that farmers see in growing this crop.
Funder: French Ministry of Agriculture, programme CasDAR
The project is structured around three main objectives:
- Evaluate the agronomic constraints likely to limit the expanded cultivation of perennial cereals.
- Design cropping systems integrating perennial cereals, taking into account the dual use of the crop (for grain and forage), and the ecosystem services provided by the system.
- Identify varietal improvement opportunities.
Our experimental approach
Thinopyrum intermedium (Kernza) cropping was grown at the INRAe and Arvalis-Institut du Végétal experimental stations for specific measurements (yield components). All other experimental plots were located on 30 commercial farms throughout France.
Project team
Olivier Duchêne, Florian Celette and Christophe David (Agroecology and Environment research unit).
Partners
ARVALIS-Institut du végétal, Gembloux AgroBio-Tech (Belgium), INRAE (UMR GDEC) & SAS Secobra Recherches
Publications
Ginot, C., Bathellier, C., David, C., Rossing, W., Celette, F., Duchêne, O., Introducing a new perennial grain crop (Thinopyrum intermedium) in farming systems from the strategic to the tactical leval: insights from pioneer farmers. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, under revisions
Bathellier, C., Duchene, O., Celette, F., David, C., 2022. Céréales pérennes : quelle place pour le Kernza dans les exploitations françaises ? Perspectives Agricoles 498, 60. https://hal.science/hal-03652971/
Duchene, O., Celette, F., Barreiro, A., Dimitrova Mårtensson, L.-M., Freschet, G.T., David, C., 2020. Introducing Perennial Grain in Grain Crops Rotation: The Role of Rooting Pattern in Soil Quality Management. Agronomy 10, 1254. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091254
Duchêne, O., Bathelier, C., Dumont, B., David, C., Celette, F., 2023. Weed community shifts during the aging of perennial intermediate wheatgrass crops harvested for grain in arable fields. European Journal of Agronomy, 143, 126721. doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2022.12672