Kontext

Perennial crops have been shown to provide an overall increase in several key ecosystem services compared to annual crops. Kernza® (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial grain crop developed by The Land Institute (Kansas, USA). Kernza® can be used for both fodder and grain in the same year. In fact, double cropping (fodder and grain) can increase yields compared to a single harvest (grain), with the same root growth. Kernza® yields can be up to 33% of wheat yields. Indeed, clones selected for grain have produced yields of up to 2,160 kg of grain/ha-1 in small field experiments. Although current yields are modest, the services in ecosystems associated with this developing crop are promising and a compelling reason to continue efforts to obtain higher yields. Kernza® is a very promising crop given its characteristics, such as the ability to combat weeds, assimilate carbon (C) and reduce leaching and run-off. 
The aim of this project is to produce new local flours from a new cereal (Kernza®), which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and also to develop new products for human consumption from this flour. It also assessed the plant’s suitability for fodder for animals. It is important to note that Kernza® is a relatively new crop, whose management, fertilisation patterns and productivity are unknown. The present project helps establish all these parameters and create a farming guide for the new cereal optimised for the Catalan environment. Finally, it also provided to data to establish a new industrial process for obtaining flour from a grain that is substantially smaller than the usual wheat grain.