THE SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PERENNIAL GRAIN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER AT MTSU: PATHWAYS TOWARD SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION AND SOIL HEALTH. HEALTH

The overall goal of this project is to establish the Southeast Regional Perennial Grain Research and Education Center at MTSU for enhancing the educational capacity and research collaboration with the leading perennial grain plant breeding institution (TLI) and a flagship land-grant university (University of Kentucky, UK).This joint venture will 1) enhance the scientific understanding of and develop best practices for growing perennial grain crops in the climate transition zone of the Southeastern US, 2) better educate students and the general public about the benefits and challenges of perennial grain crop production and value-added products, and 3) provide a collaborative research platform and a comprehensive educational program that ultimately enhances the capacity of the plant and food science programs at MTSU. Three research/demonstration sites and two internship programs will be developed through this project.Task (Objective) 1: Establish perennial grain crop research/demonstration fields at the MTSU Research and Experiential Learning Center in the Cumberland Basin area, focusing on Kernza®, perennial sorghum, and silflower. Evaluate the agronomic performance, soil health, medicinal properties, and fermentation quality of various perennial grain crops.Task (Objective) 2: Collaborate with faculty members at UK and grain producers in eastern Tennessee to establish perennial grain production plots in the Cumberland Plateau/Valley region.Task (Objective) 3: Leverage existing projects at TLI conducted in the Midwest agronomic region and develop collaborative educational programs involving faculty members, scientists, and students across all participating institutions.Task (Objective) 4: Initiate the MTSU Summer Research Apprentice and TLI Breeder Shadowing internship programs in collaboration with both TLI and UK, focusing on perennial grain crop research and soil health.