Assessing the Potential Environmental Benefits of Perennial Agriculture

Perennial agriculture is often discussed as a potential solution to many environmental issues that are exacerbated by annual agriculture. However, there has been limited field scale, observational studies to quantify these potential benefits. Here, we examine the ramifications of perennial agriculture on the water and carbon cycling in the central U.S. We use approximately ten years of eddy covariance collected in Salina, KS and modeling results to examine the interactions of the intermediate wheatgrass Kernza. We focus on the water and carbon dynamics under environmental stress such as heat waves and drought to estimate crop parameters and assess variation from annual crops to examine impacts on growing season and annual fluxes. In addition, we examine the potential tradeoffs associated with conversion of fields to perennial agriculture. These results help to contextualize the environmental benefits of transitioning to a perennial agricultural system.