If you want to print this publication, we recommend downloading the PDF version. For more information Cereal rye is an erect annual grass with greenish blue, flat blades and an extensive fibrous root system. Flowering is induced by 14 hours of light in spring.
Vegetative growth stops when reproduction begins.
Compared to other cereal grains, cereal rye grows faster in fall and winter and produces more dry matter per unit area as a winter cover crop. N ratios and high percentages of lignin and cellulose that are slow to decompose. Environmental preferences and limitations Cereal rye grows best on well-drained loamy soils but is tolerant of both heavy clays and droughty, sandy soils. It often grows in infertile soils where other cereal grains fail. Cereal rye tolerates drought better than do the other cereal grains, in part because of its extensive root system.