Kernza is a newly-domesticated form of wheatgrass that was designed to be planted from a single seed and regrow on its own, year after year. This would make it unique amongst most other commercial or industrial crops, which are usually annual and need to be replanted every year. According to The Washington Post, annual crops require enormous amounts of water, fertilizer, and energy, not to mention the habitat destruction and soil degradation they promote.
With Kernza, the growing process is completely different. The roots remain in the soil, storing carbon and regrowing the plants to be harvested the next year. This cuts down on soil erosion, fertilizer use, and energy requirements. And all of this amounts to a crop that is completely unique amongst other traditional grains like wheat or barley.
Kernza has a sweet, nutty flavor that makes it perfect for making bread, cereals, and snacks. Though it isn't gluten free, it has less gluten than wheat, according to the official Kernza FAQ page. It can be used whole grain, ground into flour, malted, or directly added to beer and whiskey.
The official Kernza website, brought to us by The Land Institute, has everything that anyone would need to know about Kernza’s amazing properties. Kernza has a deep-set root system that reaches more than 10 feet underground. This makes it an ideal net sink for carbon and a potential option as an effective solution against our current overabundance of atmospheric carbon.
A perennial grain is quite a revolution! I assume it would likely still be a monoculture in practise but leaving roots in the ground year round instead of tilling is going to do wonders for the soil life and structure.