Cereal rye (Secale cereale) is a cool-season annual grass that is the most popular cover crop for Iowa farmers due to its ability to suppress weeds, fight disease, establish in the fall, and help reduce soil compaction. (Photo by Lynn Betts) Planting information from Midwest Cover Crop Council (midwestcovercrops.org).

Jun 5, 2024 · Cereal rye is a winter annual grass, surviving the winter in all of Pennsylvania and north into USDA Hardiness Zone 3. (Table 1). It fits into many crop rotations and has been the most widely used cover crop species in Pennsylvania, as it can be established in the fall after corn or soybean harvest.

Rye also works well as a strip cover crop and windbreak within vegetables or fruit crops and as a quick cover for rotation gaps or if another crop fails. You can overseed rye into vegetables and tasseling or silking corn with consistently good results.

As a cover crop, cereal rye can scavenge nitrogen, build soil, loosen topsoil (reduce compaction), prevent erosion, and suppress weeds. It can also be used as a livestock forage between cash crops. Cereal rye absorbs unused soil nitrogen (N) remaining from previously grown row crop.

Sep 20, 2019 · Resourceful Iowa farmers have started growing cover crop seed for themselves, neighbors and beyond. If you’re used to procuring your cover crop seed, here are the six key factors to think about when considering harvesting your rye as a seed crop.

Oct 7, 2024 · A cereal rye cover crop can confer a host of benefits to the area it is planted in. Once established, it will suppress winter weeds, break up soil compaction, and form a good mulch layer in spring when it is terminated.

Oct 19, 2023 · Cereal rye continues to be a crucial cover crop for scavenging nitrogen, reducing soil erosion, adding biomass to the system, and suppressing weeds. The Manhattan Plant Materials Center is exploring new, innovative ways to use cereal rye to …

cereal rye is a great cover crop choice for the Mississippi Delta region and can provide many excellent benefits with very little input cost.

18 hours ago · NOT ENOUGH S: The yellow streaking in this soybean field shows sulfur immobilization that took place following a cereal rye cover crop. If you are following cereal rye this spring, consider applying sulfur to prevent deficiencies. This was at the West Lafayette, Ind., test site. Shaun Casteel

Type: cool season winter annual grass. Pros: good fit following silage or seed corn production; high potential to scavenge nutrients, suppress weeds, improve soil health, prevent erosion. Overwintering potential: yes. Planting date: late August through October.