Cereal rye is an erect annual grass
with greenish blue, flat blades and an
extensive fibrous root system. It
resembles wheat, but usually is taller
(3–5 ft) and tillers less. Flowering is
induced by 14 hours of light in
spring.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Dick, Richard

Hemphill, Delbert D.

Karow, Russell S.

Kaufman, Diane

Luna, John

McGrath, Daniel M. (Daniel Morton)

Oregon State University. Extension Service

Sattell, Robert

Undetermined

Cereal rye is an erect annual grass with greenish blue, flat blades and an extensive fibrous root system. It resembles wheat, but usually is taller (3–5 ft) and tillers less. Flowering is induced by 14 hours of light in spring.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

ScholarsArchive@OSU

EM 8694January 199850¢ CEREAL RYE (Secale cereale L.)  R. Sattell, R. Dick, R. Karow, D. Kaufman, D. Hemphill, J. Luna, and D. McGrathCereal rye is an erect annual grasswith greenish blue, flat blades and anextensive fibrous root system. Itresembles wheat, but usually is taller(3–5 ft) and tillers less. Flowering isinduced by 14 hours of light inspring. Vegetative growth stops whenreproduction begins.Compared to other cereal grains,cereal rye grows faster in fall andwinter and produces more dry matterper unit area as a winter cover crop.Mature residues tend to have highC:N ratios and high percentages oflignin and cellulose that are slow todecompose.Environmental preferencesand limitationsCereal rye grows best on well-drained loamy soils but is tolerant ofboth heavy clays and droughty,sandy soils. It often grows in infertilesoils where other cereal grains fail.Optimum soil pH is 5.0–7.0, but pHin the range of 4.5–8.0 is tolerated.Cereal rye is the most winter-hardyof all cereal grains, enduring tem-peratures as low as -30°F onceestablished. It can germinate andgrow at temperatures as low as 33°F;however, optimal temperatures aremuch higher.Cereal rye tolerates drought betterthan do the other cereal grains, inpart because of its extensive rootsystem. It grows best with amplemoisture, but excessive moistureduring the fall and winter suppressesvegetative growth. Cereal rye doesnot tolerate flooding.Snow is readily trapped by thecereal rye plant, providing insulationfrom cold weather and increasingwater availability in dry climates.UsesCereal rye may be used as a covercrop, grain, hay, or pasture. It is oneof the best cover crops where soilfertility is low and/or winter tempera-tures are extreme. Cereal rye is anexcellent choice as a late-sown covercrop. In western Oregon it may beplanted any time of the year.Because it establishes rapidly incool weather and grows throughoutthe winter, cereal rye is excellent forprotecting the soil from wind andwater erosion, scavenging soil-Nbefore it is leached below the rootzone, and suppressing weeds.Cereal rye’s extensive root systemmakes it among the best cover cropsfor improving soil structure. Incorpo-rating mature residues can improvewater infiltration and aeration andadd substantial quantities of organicmatter to the soil.Cereal rye has been used success-fully in Oregon as a relay-inter-planted cover crop in short-staturedcrops such asbroccoli andcauliflower.Dry matter and NaccumulationIn a mid-Willamette Valleyreplicated trialover 4 years,cereal rye plantedin mid-Septemberaccumulated amaximum of 5.3,minimum of 1.3,and average of3.6 tons drymatter/acre and amaximum of 125,Quick facts: CCommon namesHardiness zonepH toleranceBest soil typeFlood toleranceDrought toleranceShade toleranceMowing toleranceDry matter accumulaN accumulationN to following cropUsesminimum of 29, and average of 86 lbN/acre by mid-April.Due to cereal rye’s relatively highcarbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio, very littleor none of the accumulated N isavailable to the following crop.ManagementSuggested seeding rates vary from60 to 100 lb/acre. Use higher rateswhen drilling into a rough seedbed,broadcasting, seeding late in the fall,relay interplanting, or controllingerosion. In general, seed is drilledinto a prepared seedbed, or broad-cast and tilled lightly. Seed is inex-pensive and readily available.Excessive amounts of springresidue produced by cereal rye candelay planting and actually decreasethe availability of N to subsequentcrops. To avoid these problems,cereal rye often is killed with anherbicide or incorporated when lessthan 18 inches high and still some-what succulent. However, wetereal ryeCereal rye, rye3 (see Figure 1)4.5–8.0; optimum is 5.0–7.0Wide range, tolerates poor fertilityLowHighModerateHigh until maturitytion Kill at 2–3 tons/acre70 lb/acre at 3 tons/acreNoneSurvives in cold, droughty, and/or infertilesoils. Use to protect soil, smother weeds,scavenge N, and improve tilth. Oftenplanted with legumes.Cautions Do not use in fields where conditions donot allow early spring field operations to killcereal rye, or there may be excessive drymatter accumulation.Funding for this project was provided by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.This publication was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 andJune 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S.Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State University Extension Service offerseducational programs, activities, and materials—without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, and disabled veteran or Vietnam-eraveteran status—as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the EducationAmendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Oregon State UniversityExtension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Robert Sattell, faculty research assistant in crop and soil science; Richard Dick, professor of soilscience; Russ Karow, Extension cereals specialist; Diane Kaufman, Extension agent, NorthWillamette Research and Extension Center; Delbert Hemphill, professor of agriculture; John Luna,professor of horticulture; and Dan McGrath, Extension agent, Willamette Valley; Oregon StateUniversity.© 1998 Oregon State University. This publication may be photocopied orreprinted in its entirety for noncommercial purposes.Figure 1.—Oregon plant hardiness zonemap. Cereal rye normally will survive inZone 3 or any warmer zone. (Extractedfrom the USDA’s national plant hardinesszone map, based on average annualminimum temperature in °F.)Zone 4 = -30 to -20; Zone 5 = -20 to -10Zone 6 = -10 to 0; Zone 7 = 0 to 10Zone 8 = 10 to 20; Zone 9 = 20 to 30weather may prevent timely fieldoperations, resulting in largeramounts of spring residue thandesired.If cereal rye is incorporated whenless than 12 inches tall, or if incorpo-ration is not thorough, an applicationof herbicide may be needed toprevent grow-back.Cereal rye can be killed with anappropriate herbicide. Consult yourcounty agent of the OSU ExtensionService for recommendations. Followall herbicide label instructions andrestrictions.In general, cereal rye cannot bekilled by mowing except whennearly mature, and it rarely isallowed to grow that long.Cereal rye has performed wellwhen planted in mixtures withlegumes. During the fall and winter,cereal rye protects the soil, scavengessoil-N, and acts as a nurse crop forlegumes. In spring, cereal rye pro-vides structural support for climbinglegumes. The relatively high Ncontent of legumes reduces theoverall C:N ratio of cereal rye/legumemixtures, and minimizes problemsinvolving nitrogen availability to thefollowing crop.When used for weed suppressionin berries, cereal rye planted betweenthe rows may be mowed before seedmatures and then blown into the rowto suppress weeds there as well. Thispractice is referred to as “mow andblow.” In Willamette Valley raspberrytrials, cereal rye provided betterweed suppression than Amity oats.Cereal rye can become a volunteerweed and should be used withcaution in rotations with other grainsto avoid contamination.There is evidence in Oregon that apure stand of cereal rye causes a5–10 percent decrease in sweet cornand broccoli yield (only cropstested). However, this effect disap-pears when cereal rye and a legumeare planted in a mix.Pest interactionsCereal rye produces severalcompounds in its plant tissues androot exudates that apparently inhibitgermination and growth of weedsand crops. These allelopathic effects,together with cereal rye’s ability tosmother other plants with coolweather growth, make it an idealchoice for weed control.However, allelopathic compoundsmay suppress germination of small-seeded vegetable crops as well ifthey are planted shortly after theincorporation of cereal rye residue.Large-seeded crops and transplantsrarely are affected. There is someevidence that the amount of allelo-pathic compounds in tillering plantsis lower than in seedlings.High densities of Bird Cherry oataphids have been observed in cerealrye during late winter and earlyspring. These aphids carry virusesand may cause a problem if othergrains are grown nearby.However, Bird Cherry oat aphids donot affect vegetable plantings.Generalist predators thrive in thespring using these grain aphids as afood source, then move to othernearby crops as cereal ryeapproaches maturity.Varieties/cultivarsNew short-statured and late-maturing varieties produce less drymatter and allow more flexibility inthe scheduling of spring field residuemanagement operations.An alternative to cereal rye isshort-statured triticale, which has thehardiness of rye but produces lessdry matter.For more informationWorld Wide WebOrchard floor management informa-tion—http://www.orst.edu/dept/hort/weeds/floormgt.htmOSU Extension Service publications—eesc.orst.eduThe University of California, Daviscover crop information—http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sarep/ccrop/OSU Extension cereals Web page—http://www.css.orst.edu/crops/cereals/home.htmOregon Cover Crop HandbookThis publication also is part of UsingCover Crops in Oregon, EM 8704, whichcontains an overview of cover crop usageand descriptions of 13 individual covercrops. To order copies of EM 8704, sendyour request and $5.50 per copy to:Publication OrdersExtension & Station CommunicationsOregon State University422 Kerr AdministrationCorvallis, OR 97331-2119Fax: 541-737-0817

Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)

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Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)

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