Page 5 - Impact - Spring 2021

BELOW: CFANS CONDUCTS RESEARCH ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-INPUT TURFGRASS CULTIVARS FOR USE IN COLD CLIMATES.
THE ROOTS OF PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
In 1986, Nancy Jo Ehlke, PhD, professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, joined the University as a plant breeder
and seed production agronomist. Wyse and Ehlke combined their
plant breeding, seed production
and weed management expertise to develop new varieties and production systems for northern Minnesota seed producers.
While demand for perennial ryegrass turf seed increased, producers weren’t able to capitalize on it due to quackgrass and lack of winter hardiness. Wyse’s herbicide biochemistry team was first in the world to discover the mode of action of new herbicide families, providing a quackgrass control solution. Concurrently, the breeding program worked to improve winter hardiness.
This work helped establish the U
of M’s perennial ryegrass breeding program and initiated seed production in the region, leading to successful varieties that maximize seed yield and survive the winter. Today, the team
continues to develop new varieties with unique traits for seed production in Minnesota.
Perennial crops have environmental benefits as well. “They protect the
soil from wind and water erosion by maintaining vegetative cover on the soil and limiting tilling operations,” said Ehlke. “The fields also provide habitat for wildlife and promote diversity in agricultural practices.”
The introduction of perennial ryegrass for seed production is a success worth celebrating; today it has the largest market share of turf seed produced in the U.S.
Wyse’s team also discovered new herbicides to control quackgrass in creeping red fescue, sheep fescue, and hard fescue, opening the potential to produce these species in the region. In years following, Eric Watkins, PhD, professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, capitalized on this development, releasing a new, high-yielding hard fescue variety for production. With
a growing number of consumers seeking low input turf, this variety should yield returns for grass seed growers.
The grass seed industry in
northern Minnesota is a model for creating collaborative programs
like the Forever Green Initiative,
which develops new perennial and winter annual crops, including the intermediate wheatgrass Kernza®, that benefit the environment and economy.
“The U of M recently released the MN-Clearwater variety of Kernza®, the first perennial grain variety developed in the world and now available for production by Minnesota grain and seed producers,” said Wyse.
Over the years, CFANS has conducted much of its research on the 40-acre Magnusson Research Farm near Roseau. The land was donated to the University by the Richard Magnusson family in 1998.
What began decades ago has sprouted into a successful 21st century Minnesota turf grass seed industry. By breeding seeds and blocking weeds, the U of M and partners have opened economic growth opportunities, proving the grass really is greener on the other side of science.
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS IS HARVESTED IN ROSEAU, MN.