�Ӱ�pro

Grain at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm shrank over the past century

Grain grown on the �Ӱ�pro’ experiment farm was much taller in 1910 than 2024. Jakir Hasan has a simple explanation.

“People were a bit shorter,” he joked.

Hasan, a research assistant professor of plant genetics at UAF’s Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, said the shift to shorter grain actually resulted from breeding efforts that began in the mid-20th century.

The efforts were part of the Green Revolution, a period during which new technologies, such as high-yielding varieties of grain, dramatically increased food production globally. 

Traditionally, wheat varieties were tall (over 4 feet) and prone to falling over, or lodging, when fertilized heavily with nitrogen.

Nitrogen encouraged excessive growth and made crops more vulnerable to wind and rain damage, leading to yield losses. By using less nitrogen fertilizer, farmers prevented the plants from growing too tall, but also limited the amount of food the land would produce.

A dwarf wheat variety called Norin 10 Wheat, bred in Japan, came to the U.S. in 1945, where it was used to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant semi-dwarf wheat that was subsequently distributed worldwide. These shorter varieties were less likely to lodge, so farmers could apply more fertilizer and produce more food. 

There are other advantages to growing semi-dwarf (2 to 4 feet) and dwarf (below 2 feet) cereal grains.

Shorter plants can support heavier heads of kernels, and more energy goes into grain production rather than stem growth, resulting in less water use. Shorter varieties use nitrogen more efficiently than tall varieties. They can be planted closer together, increasing yield per acre, and many modern varieties have been bred with resistance to rust, blight and other diseases.

The Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station was started in 1906 to find crops that could grow in the Interior. Early researchers grew vegetables and various types of brome, oats, barley and wheat — the tall varieties at first. 

Variety trials continue today. Hasan runs a breeding program, developing grain varieties that can be commercially successful in �Ӱ�pro for human food, animal feed, and brewing and distilling.

Whether taller or shorter, people in the early 20th century planted much taller grain. Today, tall varieties still exist in some areas, but semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties dominate modern agriculture due to their efficiency and productivity.

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