GOVERNMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE -v Field Crops Branch J E Bird sail, Supervisor, Crop Improvement Service RYE IN ALBERTA 1 Fall Rye Fall rye has not become a major cereal crop in Alberta There are several factors contributing to its failure to do so Spring wheat usually outyields it; the price is usually lower than that of spring wheat; many farmers object to its tendency to volunteer on land for many years after it is seeded and as feed it is inferior to other cereals While it is not anticipated that this crop will become as important as the other cereals, present attractive prices coupled with a new appreciation of its value in weed and soil drifting control have stirred up a great deal of interest in the crop It also has the advantage of being seeded and harvested at different times than other cereals thereby distributing labor requirements over a longer period The price of rye is not expected to continue high in relation to other crops but it is expected that the other factors mentioned will tend to keep production at a higher level than in the past Winter Killing The variety Dakold, which is recommended for all parts of Alberta, is quite winter hardy It is much less subject to winter killing than winter wheat Winter killing is more likely to occur on summerfallow than on stubble, particularly in the open prairie areas In areas most subject to winter killing it is advisable, therefore, to seed rye into the stubble of a spring sown crop If seeded early it may be pastured but it should not be pastured so heavily as to leave a bare field when growth stops in the fall If seeded for the control of weeds or soil drifting the crop should not be pastured A M Wilson, Field Crops Commissioner cor f320 Disease of Rye Ergot is the most serious disease of rye For information with regard to its control see the Department of Agriculture circular M Ergot in Seed and Feed”, which is available on request. Rye is not susceptible to the smuts of other cereals but another form known as Stem or Flag smut does attack the crop This smut is not prevalent but has been observed in Alberta. It is a destructive disease when estab- lished so it is hoped that it will not become more prevalent This form of smut can be controlled by the use of mercury dusts and, even though its occurence is rare, treatment of seed is advisable as mercury dust treatments are helpful in the control of other seed-borne diseases as well Mercury dusts will not control ergot, - 2 - Rye as a Pasture Crop Fall rye can be pastured both fall and spring but this is not advisable when seeded for the control of weeds or the prevention of soil drifting It makes excellent pasture in many respects but being a rather soft feed should not be pastured exclusively „ If it is to be pastured, fairly early seeding is advisable. It should not be pastured closely Fall pasturing should cease in time to ensure a good cover for winter, Spring pasturing will delay ripening and if pasturing is continued for a long period yields may be re- duced The crop should be developed to the point that the ground is well covered before fall pasturing is started. Rye gives an objectionable flavor to milk when pastured by milch cows but if it is used for daytime pasture and the cows are taken off three or four hours before milking this can" be avoided Fall rye makes an excellent hog pasture. The Lacombe and Beaverlodge Experimental Stations recommend a mixture of two bushels of oats mixed with one bushel of fall rye for Central and Northern Alberta, A lighter rate would be better in the southern part of the province. This should be seeded early in the spring and will provide pasture until after freeze-up Rye alone is good but takes longer to get started. Rye as a Feed Rye is equal to wheat in feed value but it is less palatable and less digestible Nevertheless it can be used to advantage if mixed with other kinds of grain in chop0 Ergot in rye may make it entirely unsatisfactory for feed as the ergot is poisonous to animals and particularly dangerous if fed to pregnant females * It has been stated that 0.1% or more ergot in rye should be considered dangerous „ The percentage of ergot in rye can be re- duced to a safe point by the use of the fanning mill and by mixing with ergot-free grain c Volunteer Rye Fall rye volunteers readily 0 In other words volunteer plants will occur in crops that follow a crop of fall rye. This is certainly obejctionable in wheat but less so in course grains intended for feed It can be kept to a minimum by not allowing the rye to become over ripe before harvesting. In fields where weeds have become established or soil drifting is likely to be a hazard, it is a mistake to refrain from seeding rye through fear of it volunteering in future crops • Value of Fall Rye in Weed Control Fall rye is one of the most valuable competitive crops for use in weed control. It is very effective against both annuals and perennials and should be used more extensively than it is at present Numerous instances could be cited of farmers who give the credit to this crop for their success in cleaning up weedy farms. Department of Agriculture circulars dealing with weed control are available on request and the value of rye for the control of various weeds is discussed in theme » - ' ■ . . . . ;odo n,. ' - ■ . . • rt>ri £> KrtCiv • ■ v - ■ - 3 - Value of Fall -Rye in Soil Drifting Control Because of its growth habit and the fact that it covers the ground for a large part of the year, fall rye is an excellent crop to grow on land that is subject to soil drifting It is particularly valuable on light land. It does not provide the answer to all soil drifting problems but certainly can be used effectively to check fall, winter and spring drifting if it is seeded in early August to give a good ground coverage Value of Fall Rye in Wheat Stem Sawfly Control Fall rye may be grown in districts known to be infested with wheat stem sawfly While it is not entirely immune to sawfly attack it is highly resis- tant and while sawflies do lay eggs in fall rye stems this occurs to a much lesser ‘degree than in wheat, and serious crop loss is extremely rare Usually the fall rye plants are not at an attractive stage of development during the heavy sawfly flights For these reasons fall rye has been successfully used as a clean-up crop for sawfly infested wheat farms Suitable Soil Rye produces fair yields in soils that are too light and poor for the successful production of other cereals This has led to a belief that it is suited only to poor soils As a matter of fact it responds well to fertile soils and good growing conditions „ Fall rye may be seeded on summerf allowed land except in the drier areas where winter killing is likely to take place It may also be seeded into the stubble of a spring sown crop or into the stubble of a previous rye crop Variety to Gro w 'The variety Dakold is the only one recommended for use in Alberta It yields well and is quite winter hardy Rate of Seeding Because it stools readily rye should be seeded at a light rate In drier areas a rate of f to 1 bushel per acre is most satisfactory 'In' moist areas the rate should be from 1 to ij bushels per acre and the lighter rate is more generally satisfactory. Date of Seeding In the drier parts of the province the date of seeding will depend on moisture conditions If moisture supplies are inadequate seeding of fall rye should be delayed until near freeze-up. Where moisture supplies are adequate seeding between August 15th and September 15th is recommended In years when grasshoppers are numerous it Is~ advisable to delay seeding until October 1st, otherwise these insects may cause considerable damage to the crop in the fall If it is grown to prevent soil drifting in any part of the province, it should be seeded before August 20th if possible Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/ryeinalbertaOOalbe - 4 - Method of Harvesting Rye can be harvested either with a binder and threshing machine or with a swather and combine equipped with a pick-up attachment Direct combining is objectionable because, if the crop is allowed to become dead ripe before harvesting, some shattering will take place and result in an excess of volunteer rye in succeeding crops Time of Harvesting Fall rye is usually ready to harvest before spring seeded cereals, with the possible exception of early seeded, early maturing barley This is an advantage in Central and Northern Alberta as it escapes early fall frosts, and in drier areas as" the crop is well developed before the arrival of summer drought It is advisable to cut the crop before it is over- ripe in order to avoid excessive shattering which will result in volunteer rye plants in subsequent crops. 2* Spring Rye General Spring rye appears to be gaining in popularity in Alberta High yields and attractive prices have been the main factors in favor of the crop It is, a vigorous growing crop and will yield better on poor land than spring wheat $0 long as rye prices compare favorably with the price of spring wheat interest in the crop is likely to increase The sections under "Fall Rye" dealing with diseases, rye as feed, rates of seeding and soil requirements, apply equally well to spring rye. In other respects spring rye should be handled in much the same way as spring wheat Varieties to Grow The variety Prolific is recommended It was introduced to Canada from Germany by the University of Saskatchewan several years ago In tests' over a period of eight years at that institution its average' yield was 35 8 bushels per acre as compared with 30 8 bushels for Marquis wheat It matured in an average of 10? days while the average for Marquis was 112 days CANADIAN OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS COLLECTION DE PUB LIC A CAN- NATIONAL LIBRARY / CAN OFFICIELLES NES 3 r 1 1 E QUE NATIONA LE V,