perennial agriculture

perennial agriculture, the cultivation of crop species that live longer than two years without the need for replanting each year. Perennial agriculture differs from mainstream agriculture in that it involves relatively less tilling and in some cases requires less labour and fewer pesticides, helping to maintain or even improve soil health. Perennial crops used in perennial agriculture are grown worldwide in various climates and are adapted to local environmental stressors. Depending on the methods used, perennial agriculture can be considered a form of sustainable agriculture.

Historical developments

The cultivation of perennial fruiting crop species is thought to have begun more than 11,000 years ago. In order to cultivate these species, human settlements had to remain stationary, a change that potentially affected the settlement patterns of some societies. Nonetheless, humans benefited from perennial fruit crops, which were less labour-intensive and had a relatively long lifespan—producing food for many years after a single planting—compared with food-producing plants that required annual planting. Over generations of artificial selection, the species were refined to produce increasingly palatable fruit. Later, the use of perennial species expanded to forage crops, such as alfalfa, and the production of timber crops to produce building materials.

In 1929, American geographer Joseph Russell Smith, concerned by the rapid destruction of the environment following the industrialization of crop farming, wrote Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture (1929), in which he described the potential for the sustainable cultivation of trees to combat erosion while also producing food in regions worldwide. The book inspired other researchers to explore the possibility of widespread perennial agriculture and agroforestry. Shortly thereafter, in the 1930s and ’40s, interest in sustainable perennial agriculture grew, in part due to the severe drought that ruined millions of acres of plowed cropland in the Dust Bowl of the Great Plains of the United States.

Also in the 1930s, Soviet researchers attempted to breed perennial wheat through hybridization techniques, though the idea was abandoned in the 1960s due to limited success. About the same time in the mid-20th century, researchers in California began investigating perennial wheat and were able to produce lines of prototype varieties that produced yields similar to those of existing low-yielding types. Yield increases in annual wheat, however, greatly diminished the economical viability of low-yielding perennial wheat varieties.

Environmental benefits

Compared with annual crops, perennial crops have extensive root systems, making soil particles difficult to dislodge and thereby limiting soil erosion. Erosion is further reduced by the limited amount of tilling needed to maintain the crop. In addition, since perennial crops do not need to be replanted every year, they require less labour than annuals, and perennials tend to grow rapidly in the spring, enabling them to outcompete annual weeds. They also have adapted over time to deal with local insects and diseases and therefore generally require fewer pesticide applications than annuals. Moreover, their large root systems enable them to cope with environmental stressors, such as drought or irregular rainfall, and they are able to sequester carbon more efficiently than annuals. Perennial grains also potentially could be bred to imitate some of the key aspects of threatened grasslands by providing habitat for wildlife and improving or maintaining soil health, while also producing food for human consumption.

Research and limitations

Research into perennial grains slowed until the 2000s, when scientists, aided by a better understanding of plant genetics, began to reassess the plausibility and potential of perennial grains. With advancements in genetic technology, such as genetic mapping and genetic engineering, commercially viable perennial grains could be grown on a wide scale in the future. Researchers also found ways to expand the applications of perennial species. With genetic mapping, for example, researchers have been working to identify genes that can be controlled to increase biomass production in perennial species such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), an important source of biofuel.

The value of perennial grains, however, is challenged particularly by their limited yields, which is a result of the nature by which perennials continually regrow every year. Annual grains are able to divert much of their energy into the production of seeds, whereas perennials must divert energy to their root systems and seed development.