Cereal Rye is a hardy winter-spring cereal valued for its versatility, affordability, and ease of establishment—especially in infertile, sandy, or acidic soils where few other cereals thrive. Ideal for providing a reliable pasture in drier years, getting early grazing in cold climates, and filling a feed gap in autumn and winter.
Key attributes
- Reliable pasture in drier years
- Early grazing in cold climates
- Fills the autumn and winter feed gap
- Rapid establishment and suppresses weeds
- Tolerates drought, cold, sandblast and limited waterlogging
- Deep rooted nutrient scavenger that improves infertile soils
About this variety
Cereal Rye serves as an excellent green manure, enhancing soil fertility, and its roots scavenge excess nitrogen, potassium and nutrients by drawing them up from deep in the soil profile. As residues break down, these nutrients become available for subsequent crops. Pairing with legumes like vetch helps balance nitrogen tie-up in the soil.
Highly adaptable, Cereal Rye performs well across a wide range of soil types and climate conditions. It tolerates drought, cold, sand-blast, limited waterlogging, and even high aluminium levels. Quick to establish and resilient, it provides early grazing and reliable autumn-winter feed, making it ideal for filling seasonal feed gaps or rehabilitating weed-infested, low-fertility pastures. Its major fit is on the lighter acid soils, where yields are usually 70–100% of wheat and triticale when sown between May and June.
It suppresses weeds, controls erosion, and is a useful break crop following grassy pastures. Ideal uses include green manure or cover crop, erosion control, autumn-winter feed or early grazing, and crop rotation to improve soil and break disease cycles.
Planting & grazing notes
Optimal planting depends on crop purpose – early autumn to early spring. Rye germinates in soil temperatures as low as 1°C with vegetative growth from 3°C, making it ideal for early sowing as a dual-purpose forage and grain crop. Cereal rye prefers light loams or sandy soils and will germinate even in quite dry soil. It can tie up nitrogen in the soil, so sow with legumes such as vetch to offset this. If grazing, wait until the cereal rye plants are typically 15-25 cm and the root system has developed, especially in sandy soils. It should not be grazed below 5-6 cm if good regrowth is expected. Growers should select paddocks with a low risk of crown rot.
Disease & pest resistance
Cereal rye is relatively tolerant of many cereal diseases (i.e. take-all and rusts), making it a useful break crop following grassy pastures. Crown rot is of concern and growers should select paddocks with a low risk of the disease – paddock histories likely to result in high risk include durum wheat in the past one to three years, or a winter cereal or high grass burden from last season. Crown rot fungus survives in winter cereal residues, dense stubble cover or where dry conditions have made residue decomposition slow.
Stand life
Cool season annual cereal; winter hardy, with maturity dependent on temperature and soil moisture.
How it's sold
| Form | Pack | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bare | 25 kg | In stock |