Rye Health

Rye can resist drought and low nutrient values far better than other small grains. Winter Rye is the most dominant type of rye, is normally cultivated on light soil types, but can also be grown on more heavy soils. 

It is common to repeat rye on the same fields year by year. This leads to a slight lowering of yield. In spite of this, rye is competitive on light soils.

Rye can be infested by ergot (Claviceps purpurea). Infection can come from the soil, and it is strongly advised to avoid sowing rye after a heavily infested crop. If crop rotation is not possible, a thorough tilling is advised, in this way removing the ergot material from the upper layers.

The best growth will be obtained after tilling and harrowing. Without a proper preparation it might be difficult to have a good seed bed that can ensure a constant seed depth of 2 - 3 cm. Placement of the seeds too close to the surface will increase the damage risk during the winter months.

Winter rye in Northern Europe is sown between Sept. 1st and Oct. 25th, most commonly between Sept 15th and 25th. Late sowing is recommended only in very mild areas. Sowing too early can result in excessive size of the plants before wintering, that can result in fungi attack. 

By sowing in the period 15th to 25th of September, a normal plant density will be of 175-225 plants/m2 for hybrid varieties, and 225 - 250 plants/m2 for conventional varieties. In colder locations, densities of 150 - 175 plants/m2 in the hybrid varieties are desirable by sowing in the beginning of September. It is normal to buy new seeds every year. On planting hybrid varieties, the advantages in yield will be lost by using seeds from previous crop. It is advisable to treat the seed material with fungicides in order to avoid attacks by Fusarium and Stalk Smut (Orycystis occulta). Purchased seeds are normally treated agains these infections.

By using home grown seeds, it is important that the same criteria for quality applies as with bought seed. This implies that the production for seed material must be foreseen during the growing of the crop, the germination percentage must be checked and the seed material must be treated with an efficient fungicide (if needed). The thousand-grain-weight must also be calculated.