The interest in growing cereal rye for grain to be sold as cover crop seed, or to other value-added markets (distillers and bakers), has increased considerably across the Northeast region in recent years.  As a result, farmers and end-users are requesting yield and quality information on cereal rye varieties. In 2020, University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) Program conducted a variety trial to evaluate yield and quality of cereal rye. The varieties were Akusti, Aroostock, Bono, Brasetto, Danko, Dolero, Hazlet, ND Dylan, Progass, Rymin, Sangasti, Serafino, and Wheeler

Blair, Henry

Darby, Heather

English

UVM ScholarWorks

University of Vermont UVM ScholarWorks Northwest Crops & Soils Program UVM Extension 2020 Winter Rye Variety Trial Heather Darby Henry Blair Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/nwcsp  Part of the Agricultural Economics Commons     2020 Rye Variety Trial      Dr. Heather Darby, UVM Extension Agronomist Henry Blair UVM Extension Crops and Soils Technician  (802) 524-6501  Visit us on the web at: http://www.uvm.edu/nwcrops                         © December 2020, University of Vermont Extension   2020 RYE VARIETY TRIAL Dr. Heather Darby, University of Vermont Extension heather.darby[at]uvm.edu  The interest in growing cereal rye for grain to be sold as cover crop seed, or to other value-added markets (distillers and bakers), has increased considerably across the Northeast region in recent years.  As a result, farmers and end-users are requesting yield and quality information on cereal rye varieties. In 2020, University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) Program conducted a variety trial to evaluate yield and quality of cereal rye. The varieties were Akusti, Aroostock, Bono, Brasetto, Danko, Dolero, Hazlet, ND Dylan, Progass, Rymin, Sangasti, Serafino, and Wheeler.     MATERIALS AND METHODS  The experimental design was a randomized complete block with twelve varieties replicated four times.  Treatments were thirteen varieties of cereal rye including Aroostock, Bono, Brasetto, Danko, Dolero, Hazlet, ND Dylan, Progass, Rymin, Sangasti, Serafino, and Wheeler (Table 2). Due to limited seed stock, Akusti only had 2 replicates and was not included for evaluation.   The field was plowed, disked, and prepared with a spike tooth harrow to prepare the seedbed for planting. The plots were planted with a Great Plains cone seeder on 20-Sep 2019. Plots were 5’ x 20’ (Table 1). On 15-Apr, winter survival was visually assessed.  Each plot was scored on a percent scale of 0-100%, with 0 indicating no plants survived and 100 indicating 100% survival.  Prior to harvest, on 22-Jul 2020, three plant heights per plot were measured for each plot.   Table 1. Agronomic and trial information for the rye cover crop variety trial, 2019-2020.  Borderview Research Farm, Alburgh, VT Soil Type Benson rocky silt loam Previous Crop Spring grains Tillage Operations Fall plow, disc, and spike tooth harrow Harvest Area (ft.) 5 x 20 Seeding Rate (live seeds m-2) 350 Replicates 4 Planting Date  20-Sep 2019  Harvest Date 22-Jul 2020 Grain plots were harvested at the Alburgh site with an Almaco SPC50 plot combine on 22-Jul. Following harvest, seed was cleaned with a small Clipper M2B cleaner (A.T. Ferrell, Bluffton, IN). Grain moisture, test weight, and yield were calculated. An approximate one-pound subsample was collected to determine quality. Quality measurements included standard testing parameters used by commercial mills. Test weight was measured by the weighing of a known volume of grain. Once test weight was determined, the samples were then ground into flour using the Perten LM3100 Laboratory Mill. At this time, flour was evaluated for its protein content, falling number, and mycotoxin levels. Grains were analyzed for protein content using the Perten Inframatic 8600 Flour Analyzer. The determination of falling number (AACC Method 56-81B, AACC Intl., 2000) was measured on the Perten FN 1500 Falling Number Machine. The falling number  indirectly measures enzymatic activity in the grain, which is typically used as an indicator of pre-harvest sprouting. It is measured by the time it takes, in seconds, for a stirrer to fall through a cooked slurry of flour and water to the bottom of the tube. Deoxynivalenol (DON) analysis was done using Veratox DON 5/5 Quantitative test from the NEOGEN Corp. This test has a detection range of 0.5 to 5 ppm. Samples with DON values greater than 1 ppm are considered unsuitable for human consumption. Table 2. Winter rye varietal information, Alburgh, VT, 2020. Variety Source Aroostock Albert Lea Seed Bono Albert Lea Seed Brassetto Seedway LLC Danko Knight Seed Dolero Albert Lea Seed Hazlet SeCan ND Dylan Seedway LLC Progass Albert Lea Seed Rymin University of Minnesota Sangasti Ruth Fleischmann Serafino Ruth Fleischmann Wheeler Moore Seed Farm  Stand characteristics were analyzed using mixed model analysis using the mixed procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 1999).  Replications within the trial were treated as random effects, and treatments were treated as fixed. Treatment mean comparisons were made using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) procedure when the F-test was considered significant (p<0.10).   Variations in project results can occur because of variations in genetics, soil, weather, and other growing conditions.  Statistical analysis makes it possible to determine whether a difference among treatments is real or whether it might have occurred due to other variations in the field.  At the bottom of each table, a LSD value is presented for each variable (e.g. yield).  Least Significant Differences (LSD’s) at the 10% level of probability are shown.  Where the difference between two treatments within a column is equal to or greater than the LSD value at the bottom of the column, you can be sure in 9 out of 10 chances that there is a real difference between the two values. Treatments that were not significantly lower in performance than the highest value in a particular column are indicated with an asterisk. In the previous example, treatment A is significantly different from treatment C but not from treatment B. The difference between A and B is equal to 200, which is less than the LSD value of 300. This means that these treatments did not differ in yield. The difference between A and C is equal to 400, which is greater than the LSD value of 300. This means that the yields of these treatments were significantly different from one another.  RESULTS  Seasonal precipitation and temperature recorded at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT are displayed in Table 3.  The winter temperatures were warmer than average, leading to strong winter survival.  Treatment  Yield  A  2100*  B  1900*  C  1700  LSD  300  A cooler than average spring but warmer and drier summer led to 3433 Growing Degree Days (GDDs) accumulated April to July, which was 55 GDDs above the 30-year average.  Precipitation from April to July was 3.81” below normal.  Overall, precipitation across the entire growing season from Sep to Jul, was 1.61” below average, with a total of 5317 GDDs from Sep through Jul, which was 30 less than average.   Table 3. Temperature and precipitation summary for Alburgh, VT, 2019 and 2020.   2019 2020 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Average temperature (°F) 60.0 50.4 31.2 26.0 23.5 21.8 35.0 41.6 56.1 66.9 74.8 Departure from normal -0.51 2.32 -6.76 0.46 4.62 0.41 3.94 -3.19 -0.44 1.08 4.17              Precipitation (inches) 3.87 6.32 2.38 1.29 2.63 1.19 2.79 2.09 2.35 1.86 3.94 Departure from normal 0.21 2.76 -0.74 -1.06 0.63 -0.53 0.57 -0.72 -1.04 -1.77 -0.28                         Growing Degree Days (32°-95°F) 840 571 128 67 37 48 193 315 746 1046 1326 Departure from normal -15 58 -122 -13 -12 -8 27 -99 -13 35 132 Based on weather data from a Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 with WeatherLink data logger. Historical averages are for 30 years of NOAA data (1981-2010) from Burlington, VT. (http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/page_nowdata.html).  Winter survival was measured in the spring of 2020 and is presented as a percentage, 1% showing severe winter kill within plots and 100% showing little to no winter kill within plots. There were significant differences between some of the varieties in terms of survival (Table 4). Aroostock, Sangasti and Dolero had the highest winter survival, 100%, but was statistically similar to every other variety except Brasetto.  Brasetto had the lowest winter survival, a statistically significant difference from the other varieties, with 93.75% survival. Across the board, there were much higher rates of winter survival in the 2020 growing season for the Rye Variety Trial than there were in the 2019 growing year.    Table 4. Winter survival for winter rye varieties, Alburgh, VT, 2020.  †Winter survival rated on a 0 to 100% scale where 0 = 0% survival and 100 = 100% survival. ᵵWithin a column, values labelled with the same letter have no significant difference between treatments (p=0.10).  Variety Winter survival 0-100% ratingϯ Aroostook 100 aᵵ Bono 97.5 ab Brasetto 93.8 b Danko 98.8 a Dolero 100 a Hazlet 199 a ND Dylan 96.3 ab Progass 97.5 ab Rymin 98.8 a Sangasti 100. a Serafino 98.8 a Wheeler 96.3ab Trial mean 98.0 LSD (p=0.10) 4.48  Heading date, heights, yield and test weight measurements were taken prior to rye harvest (Table 5). There were significant differences in each measurement. Wheeler and Sangasti were the tallest varieties at 170 and 171 cm, respectively, and were also among the latest to head out, and among the lowest yield and test weight.  The average height across the variety trial was 135 cm. There was very little lodging in the variety trial this year so measurements were not recorded.  Yields are adjusted for a 13.5% moisture basis.  Yields ranged between 2411 and 6525 lbs ac-1 with Dolero and Bono as the top performing varieties. The ideal test weight for rye is 56 lbs bu-1; only Hazlet reached this test weight, at 56.3, with every other variety ranging from 50.1 to 55.6.  The ideal moisture content for grain storage is below 13.5%.  Moisture measurements were recorded at harvest with every variety except for Wheeler and Serafino measuring below 13.5% moisture.  Harvesting grain with high moisture requires additional drying prior to storage, adding time and labor costs.    Table 5. Harvest and pre-harvest measurements of winter rye varieties, Alburgh, VT, 2020. Variety Heading Height Yield @ 13.5% moisture Harvest moisture Test  weight date cm lbs ac-1 % lbs bu-1 Aroostook 20-May eϯ 154 b 3214 c 13.2 bc 53.2 c-e Bono 26-May c 108 f 6414 a 13.0 c 55.3 ab Brasetto 26-May bc 112 fe 5477 b 13.2 bc 54.4 b-d Danko 23-May d 128 cd 4885 b 13.2 bc 55.1 ab Dolero 26-May b 105 f 6525 a 13.5 a-c 54.8 bc Hazlet 26-May c 135 c 5053 b 12.9 cd 56.3 a ND Dylan 26-May c 151 b 3823 c 13.1 c 54.6 bc Progass 26-May bc 127 cd 4982 b 12.4 d 53.1 e Rymin 26-May c 138 c 5096 b 13.2 bc 55.6 ab Sangasti 27-May a 171 a 3531 c 13.5 a-c 50.1 f Serafino 26-May c 122 de 5274 b 13.9 a 54.8 bc Wheeler 26-May b 170 a 2411 d 13.7 ab 53.2 ed Trial mean  135 4724 13.2 54.3 LSD (p=0.10)  11 711 0.6 1.3 ϯWithin a column, values labelled with the same letter have no significant difference between treatments (p=0.10).  The 12 winter rye varieties were analyzed for crude protein, falling number, and the vomitoxin DON (Table 6). There were significant differences in crude protein and in falling number between varieties. Overall, DON levels were low this year and all varieties had DON levels below the 1.0 ppm threshold required for human consumption (data not shown). Wheeler had the highest crude protein at 12.8% and was significantly higher than all other varieties in the trial.  Falling number ranged between 206 (Wheeler) and 368 (Serafino).  The ideal falling number range for wheat is 250-350, however lower falling numbers around 150 seconds have been acceptable, or even preferable, to bakers using rye flours. See the 2020 Rye Harvest Date Trial Report for more details about falling number in rye.      Table 6. Grain quality for winter rye varieties, Alburgh, VT, 2020.   ϯWithin a column, values labelled with the same letter have no significant difference between treatments (p=0.10). ᵵProgass is a rye variety best suited for forage so grain quality not analyzed.    DISCUSSION  The rye varieties in this trial, consistent with all of the winter grain trials at Borderview Research Farm in 2020, had strong winter survival rates.  The weather during the 2019-20 season was warmer and drier than average, with 55 more growing degree days than the 30-year average. This allowed for better winter survival and considerably higher yields than the 2018-2019 season, which was cooler and wetter with 74 fewer growing degree days than average.  The average trial yields for the 2018 season were 3373 lbs ac-1 with three of the top performing varieties (Brasetto, Guardian, and Bono) yielding over 4000 lbs ac-1 that season. Comparatively, the 2019 season trial had a much lower average trial yield of 2093 lbs ac-1 with top performing varieties (Brasetto and Dolero) topping out over 3600 lbs ac-1, and finally the 2020 season yield average was over 4700 lbs ac-1 with Dolero and Bono both yielding well over 6000 lbs ac-1. Harvest moisture, test weight and crude protein were adequate, and falling number was slightly higher than the ideal range for rye flour, averaging 287 seconds with Bono, Brasetto and Serafino exceeding 300 seconds. Overall, DON levels were low this year and all varieties had a DON level suitable for human consumption. These data highlight the importance of varietal selection, but also only represent one year of data in ongoing trials. More data and other factors should be considered when making management decisions.    Variety Crude protein Falling  number @ 12% moisture % seconds Aroostook 11.0 bϯ 291 ed Bono 7.8 h 333 a-c Brasetto 8.4 fg 337 ab Danko 9.0 d-f 284 d-f Dolero 8.2 hg 296 cd Hazlet 8.6 e-g 251 f ND Dylan 9.2 ed 274 d-f Progassᵵ - - Rymin 8.5 fg 252 ef Sangasti 10.2 c 245 fg Serafino 8.1 gh 368 a Wheeler 12.8 a 206 g Trial mean 9.3 287  LSD (p=0.10) 0.6 40  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  UVM Extension would like to thank Roger Rainville and his staff at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT, for hosting this trial. This project was funded through a USDA SARE Partnership Grant ONE18-312.  We would also like to thank John Bruce, Catherine Davidson, Hillary Emick, Ivy Luke, Rory Malone, Lindsey Ruhl, and Sara Ziegler for their assistance with data collection and entry.  The information is presented with the understanding that no product discrimination is intended and no endorsement of any product mentioned or criticism of unnamed products is implied.    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Winter Rye Variety Trial

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Winter Rye Variety Trial

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