* Reasons for crop selection

Rye provides excellent erosion control. As with all winter cereals , good stands of rye protect the soil against wind and water erosion. It also reduces compaction in the spring as the farmer is not under pressure to go into the field when the soil is still too wet.

The large root system makes rye very efficient at taking up soluble nutrients which would otherwise leach from the soil.

Straw production is a valuable asset on an organic farm and many farmers grow rye for this purpose. Rye produces as much as 125-150 bales/acre. It is used either for livestock bedding and composting or incorporated back into the soil. The heavy straw and deep roots loosen the soil and add organic matter improving soil tilth. It is particulary useful for improving light, sandy soils.

Rye is extremely aggressive; its extensive rooting system, rapid tillering, vigorous spring growth and long straw have a marked suppressing effect on weeds. It is also thought to have allelopathic characteristics which help control quack grass.

Livestock producers are finding that rye can be substituted for other grains in the feed ration with good results. Rye can make up to 60% of the grain mixture but it should not be fed if it contains ergot.

* Crop requirements

A rye crop which yields 30bu/ac removes:

N - 35 lbs, P - 15 lbs, K - 9 lbs

Rye requires only moderate fertility for optimum growth. Avoid too much nitrogen because it will cause lodging making combining difficult. Although rye grows best in deep fertile soils it can be grown on poorer soils than any other grain crop. Soils too poor for rye are generally not used for crop production.

Rye is a cool-weather plant and is not as well adapted to either dry or moist heat as oats or barley. The deep roots make it drought tolerant.

Organic farmers usually select varieties that are winter hardy and have tall straw.

* Planting methods

Planting date

It is best to time seeding so that the foliage can reach 10-15cms (4-6 inches) before fall freeze-up. In S. Ontario this is normally in the first week of September or one to two weeks earlier if the rye is to be used as a green manure. Rye can be planted as late as mid-October, but will not give good soil protection unless sown by October 1st.

Rye is best planted into a moist, well prepared seedbed. Following a cereal crop two cultivations prior to seeding should provide good weed control. If there is a quackgrass problem more cultivations may be necessary. After hay or pasture the land will have to be worked more thoroughly.

Germination drops rapidly in fall rye therefore test for germination if you use seed carried over from the previous year.

Seeding Rate: 100-135 kg/ha. 90-120 lbs/ac

Use higher rates if you are seeding late. If large amounts of compost have been applied a low seeding rate is advisable to reduce the possibility of lodging with a heavy crop.

Bushel weight: 56lb/bu (70kg/hl).

Rye emergence is affected by seed depth apparently more than other cereals. A seeding depth of no greater than 5 cm is recommended.

* Crop management

Weed control

Any annual weeds that germinate in the fall will be winterkilled.

Rye's fast growth in early spring smothers spring germinating weeds and keeps winter annuals in check so weeds are rarely a problem.

Disease control

Rye is particularly susceptible to ergot, a fungus disease. If infected rye is consumed by breeding stock it can lead to abortions. If ergot is present, the percentage of rye in the feed should be reduced to minimize the chance of complications.

Preventative measures include using ergot-free seed, mowing headland and roadside grasses before they flower and establishing good stands of rye. Avoid planting crops which are hosts to ergot before and after rye in the rotation, see Table 5. The infection often occurs at the edges of the field first, so separate seed that is collected from this area to avoid contamination of the entire lot. The ergot can be removed from the seed at cleaning time.

* Harvesting

Rye is harvested in late July or early August. Shattering of seed is not generally a problem therefore a delay in harvesting will not result in serious grain losses. Use the swath combine or straight combine. Harvest rye when it is mature and has reached the hard kernel stage, (i.e. so finger nail can make only a light indent into the kernelL, otherwise the grain should be dried down to 15 percent.

Dry weather is very important so that the crop can be harvested at the peak of condition. There must be as little moisture as possible in the grain otherwise it will spoil in storage. The soil must be dry to allow heavy harvest machines to operate.

Rye produces so much straw that there is a chance that your combine could choke. If this is the case cut as high as possible to reduce the amount of straw going through the combine. This means that about 80 cm of stubble is left which is itself a challenge to work up. It does, however, leave a loose soil for the next yearÕs crop. If one wanted to leave all the straw on the fields, use a crop chopper on the combine.

*Rye as a green manure

Rye is often grown as a green manure and winter cover crop and then followed by a bean crop to take advantage of the low weed population.

In late fall make a single pass with a chisel plow with the sweeps or twisted shovels. The following spring spring disk or cultivate. However, if you plan to follow rye with a late planted crop (such as beans), let the rye grow undisturbed until spring.

It is worth noting that if the soil is not well drained, the standing rye may retard soil drainage and warming, which will delay planting of subsequent crops.

It is widely believed that rye has allelopathic properties, that is that the rye exudes chemicals which inhibit the germination of weeds and which can inhibit growth of the following crop. This problem is solved by waiting three weeks after the rye is incorporated before seeding. Some researchers believe that the reason for the lack of weeds is that the rye does not immediately return its nutrients to the soil. The microbes in the soil tie up the nitrogen and phosporus while breaking down the high carbon material. It has also been observed that the "allelopathic affect" is stonger when the rye is left as a surface mulch rather than incorporated.

Rye incorporated at the very young, succulent stage can cause a net loss of organic matter by overstimulating microbial activity. If your objective is to increase the soil's organic matter it may be worth your while, if you have the equipment, to try to delay incorporation until the early heading or "boot"stage.

Regrowth sometimes causes a problem when rye is tilled in at a height of 15-20cm. Leaving the rye until it is 30cm tall reduces the problem.

Rye can also be used as a pasture crop to extend the grazing season in late fall and early spring. The rye is seeded in late summer, and grazed in the fall. It is then used as a plowdown in the spring, or could be grazed again before it is incorporated. It has been reported that milk production is increased when cows are grazed on rye in early May. However it is also the experience of some producers that sheep do not find the rye very palatable for fall grazing. If the rye was only lightly grazed in the fall, it is possible to harvest a grain crop, admittedly of reduced yield.

* Suitable following crops

Rye can be used at any stage in the rotation. Follow rye with oats, barley, potatoes, soybeans or buckwheat. Soybeans will benefit the best from the low-weed population left by the rye. RyeÕs early harvest leaves time to establish a cover crop like oil radish. To prepare the soil for the cover crop, chop up the rye straw then disc or plow.

Rye may be underseeded in late March or early April with a green manure like red clover, seed the red clover using a cyclone seeder with a seeding rate of 7-9 kg/ha (6 to 8 lbs/acre).