Hannah R. Rodgers

Though on‐farm research is crucial for addressing agricultural needs, it presents challenges that can derail projects if not addressed. Unlike small plot or greenhouse studies, on‐farm research evaluates tradeoffs in real‐world systems, offers access to diverse environments, and relies on farmer–researcher collaboration. The resilience and productivity of our agricultural systems depend on continual experimentation and innovation, and successful on‐farm projects empower farmers to evaluate and adopt practices that support social, financial, and ecological well‐being. However, implementing research on working farms and coordinating among diverse viewpoints comes with significant complexities. In this paper, we identify four main challenges in on‐farm research: (1) Meeting the different needs and goals of farmers and researchers, (2) coordinating and accounting for time and resource needs, (3) maintaining clean data and experimental design, and (4) managing risks related to reputation, data sovereignty, power imbalances, biases, and accountability. We detail how these challenges can be addressed through thoughtful planning before, during, and after an on‐farm project and offer examples from our own work. For instance, farmers and researchers should make decisions collaboratively, include outcomes relevant to both parties, maintain flexibility, and set clear, reasonable expectations. Researchers should simplify experimental designs where possible, educate themselves on transdisciplinary research ethics, and hold regular meetings to address issues. This paper offers practical recommendations to help researchers avoid common pitfalls in order to promote successful farmer–researcher partnerships that advance agricultural adaptation for a resilient future.

Kernza^®, a perennial grain crop created from intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), has the potential to mitigate soil degradation in semiarid croplands of the Northern High Plains. From 2021 to 2023, Kernza was grown for the first time in Wyoming and compared at the field scale to winter wheat–fallow and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) systems on a working farm. We measured grain and forage yields, root biomass, and soil health and microbiology in bulk and rhizosphere soils. The first growing season was dry, and Kernza produced substantial forage (2995 kg ha⁻¹) but insufficient grain for harvest. In the second year, Kernza produced 286 kg ha⁻¹ of grain, compared to 2172 kg ha⁻¹ for wheat. After two years, Kernza and wheat differed in rhizosphere—but not bulk—soil properties; Kernza rhizosphere organic matter, enzyme activities, and microbial communities were more similar to the rhizosphere of intermediate wheatgrass from CRP than to that of winter wheat. Kernza also produced nearly three times more root biomass and rhizosphere organic matter than winter wheat. Although Kernza remains a low-yielding crop in development, potential soil health benefits, a high market value, and the flexibility to harvest grain or forage may make it a viable option for this region.

Aims Kernza (Thinopyrum intermedium) is among the first perennial grain crops ever bred and has the potential to address challenges associated with annual agriculture, in part due to its robust microbial partnerships and soil health benefits. However, breeding programs generally select plants based on aboveground traits such as seed size, resulting in unintended consequences on belowground traits such as root exudation and microbial symbioses. This study aimed to investigate the impact of plant breeding on the rhizosphere environment and microbial community of the novel grain crop Kernza. Methods This study is the first to investigate a crop’s rhizosphere environment across breeding cycles, starting with a wild-type population. We collected rhizosphere soil from Kernza plants across nine cycles of selection for increased yield and harvestability, and analyzed labile organic matter pools, potential enzyme activities, phospholipid fatty acids, and DNA from bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Results We found that plant breeding altered bacterial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the rhizosphere. Selection also reduced rhizosphere labile organic matter and microbial biomass, but not microbial activity, which instead increased across later breeding cycles. Conclusions Our results suggest that the Kernza breeding program created a less abundant but more active rhizosphere microbial community, potentially due to impacts on plants’ stress tolerance, resource allocation, or resource-use strategies.

Agricultural management decisions on factors such as tillage, fertilization, and cropping system determine the fate of much of the world’s soils, and soil microbes both mediate and respond to these changes. However, relationships between management practices and soil microbial properties are poorly understood, especially in semiarid regions. To address this knowledge gap, we reviewed research papers published between 2000 and 2020 that analyzed soil microorganisms in semiarid wheat fields. We aimed to determine if and how soil microbial properties reliably respond to management, and how these properties indicate long-term changes in soil health, carbon (C) sequestration, and crop yield. We found that reducing tillage increases microbial activity as much as 50% in upper soil layers and stratifies both bacteria and fungi by depth. Higher cropping intensity (reduced fallow) increases C storage, microbial activity, and biomass, and particularly fungal biomass, which can be three times greater under continuous wheat than wheat-fallow. Chemical and organic fertilizers both increase bacterial biomass, though only organic inputs provide lasting benefits by promoting C storage and increasing fungal as well as bacterial biomass. We found microbial properties to be sensitive indicators of long-term changes in soil health and productivity, and formed recommendations on appropriate sampling, analysis, and interpretation of microbial data depending on the system studied.