Definition, Concept, Climatic Conditions and Examples of Perennial Crops

Perennial agriculture is the cultivation of crop species that live longer than two years without the need for replanting each year. The period of survival and growth differentiates it from annuals, which must be planted each year and biennials, which only live for one or two years.

Perennial agriculture differs from mainstream agriculture in that it involves relatively less attention and are suited to different climatic condition the crops are robust, protect the soil against soil erosion and help to conserve soil water.

In this article, you shall be learning about climatic conditions of perennial crops and some of their different classes and examples together with the crops characteristics, characteristics and challenges faced by the crops. The advantages and disadvantages were as well dealt with.

Definition and Concept of Perennial Agriculture

Perennial agriculture is defined as the cultivation of crop species that live longer than two years without the need for replanting each year.

Simply put, a perennial is a plant that comes back year after year. The period of survival and growth differentiates it from annuals, which must be planted each year and biennials, which only live for one or two years (Report of Permanent Crop – Wikipedia).

Where tilling of the soil is concerned, perennial agriculture differs from mainstream agriculture in that it involves relatively less tilling and in some cases requires less labour and fewer pesticides, and by so doing, perennial crops helps to maintain or even improve soil fertility.

Perennial crops used in perennial agriculture are grown worldwide in various climates and are adapted to local environmental stressors.

Based on their nature of seed viability, perennial plants do not have to be reseeded or replanted every year, so they do not require annual plowing or herbicide applications to establish.

Perennial crops are robust; and so are able to protect soil from erosion and improve soil structure. They increase ecosystem nutrient retention, carbon sequestration, and water infiltration, and can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Overall, they help ensure food and water security over the long term.

The key here is that you won’t have to reseed or replant these plants each year to enjoy a harvest of food. Just plant your garden or orchard once, and your plantings should last for several years, maybe even several decades.

Climatic Conditions and Examples of Perennial Crops

It must be stressed that while perennial crops are many in number, it must be noted that all of them known as perennials may not grow in all locations. In your local climate, plants that come back year after year may not be able to survive year after year in another location.

To this end in view, Prem (2020) stated that different climatic conditions favours different perennial crops. No one perennial crop can acclimatize in all regions but to specific regions.

There is therefore the need for farmers to check for compatibility of what perennial crop to grow in line with your region before you go ahead with your operation. Below are some examples of perennial herbs, fruits, nuts and vegetables (Prem, 2020).

Perennial Herbs include; Chives, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Lemon Balm, Mint, Onions (Potato onions, Shallots, Egyptian onions, Japanese bunching onions, Welsh onions, and Chinese leeks), Oregano,

Perennial Vegetables include; Artichoke (Jerusalem, also known as Sunchokes), Asparagus, Radicchio, Rhubarb, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Tree cabbages/Tree Collards, Water Cress, Yams

Perennial Fruits; Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Blackberries, Cherries, Currants, Dates, Fig, Grapes, Lemons, Limes, Nectarines, Olives, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Strawberries,

Perennial Nuts; Almond, Chestnut, Macadamia, Pecan, Walnut.

Characteristics of Perennial Plants

The characteristics of perennial plants actually differentiate them from annual plants and provide them with extra resources that, through selection, can be re-allocated to grain production:

Perennials have better access to resources and this is due to their ability to withstand varying climatic conditions.

They have a longer growing season,

They have a more conservative use of nutrients;

Perennials generally have a higher biomass production, and;

Sustainable production on marginal lands.

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Types of Perennial Vegetables

Plants generally come in three types (Report of National Garden Association). These types are Annual, Biennial, and Perennial.

Annuals: These crops require only one year to complete their life cycle. They are crops that live for a single growing season and they are to produce and then die back at the end of the season and that forms the end of the crop. Most of the vegetables you find in the grocery store come from annual plants

Biennials: These are those crops that require two years to complete their life cycle. They are those crops that store energy in taproots in the first year and then send up a seed head in the second year.

Example of such crop includes carrots. Most gardeners just grow those as annuals anyway, since the harvestable part develops in the first year.

Perennials: These crops complete their life cycle in more than two years. These are another set of perennial plants. They are long-lived plants that set down roots for decades, if not centuries.

Challenges faced by Perennial Crops

Perennials are crops which do not have to be planted every year. The only problem right now is that these crops have low yields. Prem (2020) advanced some of the challenges. Take a look at some of the challenges faced byperennial crops:

Size of seeds: The sizes of most of the seeds of perennials are very small in size. These small sizes make it difficult for a good level of yield to be achieved by the growers. Suffice to say that, only small yield can be got from a lager plot.

Lack of habitat for wildlife: Due to the fact that most of our food grain crops are annual crops, e.g. legumes, cereals and oilseed crops including wheat, rice and maize. They are replanted every year which requires a lot of expensive pesticides and fertilizers and leave very little habitat for wildlife.

Expensive nature of the system: As a result of the fact that most perennial crops are annual crops, (e.g. legumes, cereals and oilseed crops including wheat, rice and maize) they are therefore replanted every year which requires a lot of expensive farm tools to open up new lands, clear existing land, apply pesticides and fertilizers, etc. All of these contribute to making the system an expensive one.

Low yield: The yield from a large area of land at the end of the growing season is usually small and this results to food insecurity to the people in particular and the nation in particular.

Lack of public support and funding: One of the main challenges is the lack of public support and funding. This has made it impossible for government to fund researches that could help to increase the sizes and development of the different seeds which in long-run can help increase the yield of the plants in question.

Climate change: Climate changes are yet another of the challenges for today’s farmers, who are forced to adjust their production to increasing risks from weather extremes (such as hail, drought, heavy rain, and soil erosion).

Climate changes are not only responsible for adverse weather conditions, they also cause the instability in farm commodity prices.

Advantagesof PerennialAgriculture

Some of the reasons which stand as advantages of growing perennial crops as advanced by Glover and Reganold (2010), and Prem (2020). They are as follows;

Preservation of soil nutrients: Perennials have the ability to preserve soil nutrients. This is as a result of the fact that the farm or land is not tilled each year and as such makes it possible for macro-organisms to thrive well in the soil, in addition to the decomposition of organic matters in the soil that all join to preserve the soil fertility.

Conservation of funds: As a result of the fact that the crops are not planted each year and that the plant has a way of improving soil fertility naturally, it makes it the system require less investment by farmers in terms of buying farm chemicals like fertilizer, and pesticide. They can also turn out to be more profitable to farmers, as they don‟t have to buy seeds every year. Through this, funds of the farmers are conserved.

Provisionofsheltertoanimals: Animals can benefit from greater shelter provided by perennials. This is possible because the plant itself does not die but continue from one year to another and so the canopy produced can be taken advantage of by the animals.

Helps to reduce global warming: Perennial crops grow from year to year, they are not cleared neither are they burnt by fire. This act of keeping the land green makes it possible for the system to reduce global warming.

Control of soil erosion: One of the benefits of planting perennial crop is that it helps to reduce soil erosion. Annual farming leaves fields fallow in between growing seasons and offers less root mass throughout the growth cycle.

The shed leaves from the plants and the canopy formed by the crops make it impossible for the soil to be carried away by erosion. This has become important because erosion destroys topsoil which then pressures microbial and plant populations.

Protection of water bodies: Another benefit of conversion to perennial is reduced chemical runoff. Farming chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides are not completely absorbed by crops when they are applied and the excess most times migrates into water bodies like rivers, seas, lakes etc. The migration of the chemicals into water causes water pollution which is harmful to aquatic life.

Better conservation of fresh water: Perennial plants also conserve freshwater better than annuals plants. Annual crops lose up to five times more water than perennials. This means that annual fields require more irrigation which threatens fresh water sources and consequently biodiversity in certain ecosystems.

Conservationoffossilfuel: Perennial agriculture uses less fossil fuel than annual agriculture. Annual systems require fields to be tilled and replanted more often than perennial systems. This incurs a higher fuel usage due to farm machinery. Since the system does not demand steady use of farm machines, it therefore helps to save available fuel and pollution of the environment.

Perennials are better nutrient competitors: Perennial plants are usually better competitors than annual plants, especially under stable, resource-poor conditions. This is due to the development of larger root systems which can access water and soil nutrients deeper in the soil and to earlier emergence in the spring.

Disadvantages of Perennials Agriculture

Some of the disadvantages of perennials agriculture as pointed out by Glover and Reganold (2010), and Prem (2020) include;

Drop in water tables: The negative hydrological impact is one of the predicted disadvantages of perennial agriculture. Perennials might utilize more rainfall than annuals and this could cause reduced flow to rivers and a drop in water tables.

Cannot solve food security presently: Perennials cannot solve the problem of food security currently. These crops are still in the nascent development stage and will take a number of years before achieving the yields similar to annual crops.

Pest population might increase: If the fields are not left empty for at least some period of time annually, insect and rodent population will increase. The burning of stubble may reduce population pest population and outbreak of diseases. Moreover, those pests which live underground will survive burning, whereas tilling the soil destroys their habitat.

Plant productivity is reduced over time: One of the challenges faced by perennial crops is the reduction in productivity, especially after a few years. The soil’s organic matter is built up due to tillage absence, and crops may have organic matter to the point that all of the soil’s phosphorus and nitrogen is used up and this would lead to decline in productivity in production. Remedying this odd situation would amount to farmers having to add fertilizer to the soil.

Crop rotation is difficult: One of the disadvantages of perennial agriculture is that crop rotation might become more difficult. Though crop rotation is possible, it takes more time. The slower rotation rate could lead to pathogen, pests and weeds buildup.

In summary, perennial agriculture is the cultivation of crop species that live longer than two years without the need for replanting each year. The period of survival and growth differentiates it from annuals, which must be planted each year and biennials, which only live for one or two years.

Perennial crops are found world-wide and are affected by different climatic conditions. They are actually of different types, that is, annuals, biennials and perennials. In spite of the challenges facing the production of perennial crops, they are also of numerous benefits to the soil and man.

This articles explains the concept of perennial crops and the main focus was the characteristics, types and challenges of the crops. Some examples were mentioned in addition to some challenges faced by the crops, the advantages and disadvantages of the crop to the soil and man.

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