10-01-21 Wheatgrass / Wheat by Steve Renich

GigaPan; Canon SX110 10x optic...

The real-life size of this image is 4' wide by 16' tall. These cool-season grasses show life in the middle of a cold (single digit temps) winter. The plant on the right is Intermediate Wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), a perennial. It is a close relative of the major crop Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), an annual seen on the left. These plants were taken from our root tubes in January of 2010. The wheat had been planted in September 2009; the wheatgrass transplanted from the field in June 2009 (the wheatgrass root mass would have been about the size of a soccer ball). The roots of wheatgrass contribute to soil stability year-round. The wheat has grown from a single kernel to this size over a 4 month period, in the spring some increase in root mass is expected until the plant is harvested in June or early July.

Wheatgrass itself is a potential grain crop; we are working with genetically diverse populations selecting for crop-like traits.

Other images that may be of interest:

Root Tube Array: www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=7174
Root Tube Lift: www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=22036
Root Photo Setup: www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=8037
To see these in the field: www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=6676
To learn more of our work at The Land Institute: www.landinstitute.org /