Food Security, Productivity Tradeoffs and Benefits Beyond Yield With Perennial Grains.

Food security, productivity tradeoffs and benefits beyond yield with perennial grains

Professor Len Wade

Strategic Research Professor

Charles Sturt University, Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation,

Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678, Australia

lwade@csu.edu.au; +61 2 6933 2523; www.grahamcentre.net

www.csu.edu.au/faculty/science/saws/staff/research-professors/len-wade

American Society of Agronomy, Tampa Florida USA, 2-6 Nov 2013

Perennial grains offer the opportunity to improve farm flexibility and increase integration of livestock into mixed farming systems, while at the same time, reducing environmental impact and improving ecosystem services.  This presentation will review recent progress in perennial grains research, including evidence on field performance and productivity tradeoffs, likely benefits beyond yield especially via timely fodder availability to sustain livestock numbers, and data on environmental impact.  Underpinning data on data matter partitioning under annual versus perennial growth habit, and how this may change under stress, will also be considered as a basis for understanding potential productivity tradeoffs and alternative systems benefits.  Special reference will be made to recent research on perennial wheat for rainfed wheat-based mixed-farming systems in southern Australia, and to recent research on perennial rice for rainfed rice-based mixed-farming systems in south-east Asia.  Important consequences for farmer livelihood, food security and environmental sustainability will also be highlighted, with reference to prospects for perennial grains in various farming systems.