Cereal rye crop

Domesticated rye occurs in small quantities at a number of Neolithic sites in Turkey but is otherwise virtually absent from the archaeological record until the Bronze Age of Central Europe, circa 1800–1500 BCE. English and Dutch settlers brought cereal rye to the northeastern United States. Flour made from cereal rye is gluten free, which makes it an ideal flour for people with celiac disease.

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.

Cereal rye performs well on light loams or sandy soils, and it will germinate even in quite dry soil. It also will grow in heavy clays and poorly drained soils, and many cultivars tolerate waterlogging.

It often grows in infertile soils where other cereal grains fail. Optimum soil pH is 5.0–7.0, but pH in the range of 4.5–8.0 is tolerated.

Cereal rye may be used as a cover crop, grain, hay, or pasture. Rye can also be grown as a cover crop. The green cover over the winter can help trap snow and retain soil moisture, keep living roots in the soil which keeps airways open and provides early-season ground cover.

It is one of the best cover crops where soil fertility is low and/or winter temperatures are extreme. Cereal rye is an excellent choice as a late-sown cover crop. 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 can be grown as a grain crop for alcoholic beverages and food. Cereal rye is quite distinct from wheat for bread making; the dough lacks elasticity and gas retention properties.

Rye is a traditional raw material used for the production of bread in Northern and Eastern Europe. Poland, next to Russia, Germany, Ukraine, and Belarus, is a major producer of rye grain. Used alone, it produces a distinctive black bread. Lighter rye loaves are produced from rye and wheat mixtures.
Cereal rye crop