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Sowing cereal rye earlier pays off

Studies show more benefit from cereal rye planted earlier in the fall — think mid-October rather than mid-November.

Tom J. Bechman, Midwest Crops Editor

September 18, 2024

3 Min Read
Cereal rye growing in a no-till cornfield
READY FOR SPRING: Cereal rye planted earlier rather than later in the fall usually gets a faster start in the spring and delivers more overall benefits. Tom J. Bechman

Cereal rye quickly became a favorite among cover croppers because it tends to control weeds ahead of soybeans relatively well, especially marestail, and it can be planted later than most other cover crops. In fact, some people typically plant it in mid- to late November, up to around Thanksgiving.

Dennis Bowman, precision farming specialist with University of Illinois Extension, notes that while yes, cereal rye can be planted very late and typically still produce a cover crop in the spring, there are advantages to planting it earlier. Or look at it as penalties for planting very late. Because cereal rye still survives winter and often blankets the field the next spring, sometimes people don’t see the downside.

“We wanted to see if we could achieve more biomass with lower seeding rates by planting cereal rye earlier versus planting it later,” explains Talon Becker, Extension commercial agriculture specialist with U of I. “So, we set up a trial at four locations in Illinois in 2023 to compare planting dates and seeding rates. Then, we measured total biomass produced in the spring.”

Trials were conducted at Belleville, Ewing, Perry and Monmouth, Ill. Specific seeding dates varied across locations, but were typically mid-October, early November and late November. Seeding rates were 30, 60, 90 and 120 pounds per acre of Hazlet cereal rye. The project was supported by the Illinois Soybean Association and headed by Nathan Johanning with U of I Extension. Find the project report at fieldadvisor.org.

Related:Cereal rye vs. annual ryegrass: What’s the difference?

Planting date matters

Initial results indicate that seeding rate matters, but planting date is king, Bowman says. The earlier the planting date, the larger the amount of biomass produced by cereal rye.

The most biomass, just over 2 tons per acre, was produced by the 60-pound-per-acre seeding rate planted on the earliest planting date. However, several planting dates and seeding rates produced biomass total numbers that were not significantly different vs. the highest amount produced. In other words, biomass yields weren’t significantly different for all seeding rates at the early planting date, and all but the 120-pound rate planted in early November.

Cereal rye biomass with different planting dates, seeding rates (2023, all locations)

“If we did the trial again, cereal rye at those planting dates and seeding rates might be similar to each other,” Bowman explains. “There wasn’t enough difference to say with confidence that one date and/or one seeding rate was better than another.”

However, all late planting dates produced significantly less biomass. The lowest amount came from seeding 30 pounds per acre in late November, and the second lowest amount from seeding 60 pounds per acre at that time.

The trial was repeated at all locations, with data collected in the spring of 2024. An even earlier planting date of Sept. 29 was included at Belleville. Results were similar, with the early planting date at 60 pounds per acre producing the most biomass when cereal rye was terminated at 24 inches.

Bowman concludes that while you can still get a cereal rye cover crop by planting in mid- to late November, if you want more biomass, plant earlier. Higher biomass amounts are especially important if you graze cover crop acres in the spring.

About the Author

Tom J. Bechman

Midwest Crops Editor, Farm Progress

Tom J. Bechman became the Midwest Crops editor at Farm Progress in 2024 after serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer for 23 years. He joined Farm Progress in 1981 as a field editor, first writing stories to help farmers adjust to a difficult harvest after a tough weather year. His goal today is the same — writing stories that help farmers adjust to a changing environment in a profitable manner.

Bechman knows about Indiana agriculture because he grew up on a small dairy farm and worked with young farmers as a vocational agriculture teacher and FFA advisor before joining Farm Progress. He works closely with Purdue University specialists, Indiana Farm Bureau and commodity groups to cover cutting-edge issues affecting farmers. He specializes in writing crop stories with a focus on obtaining the highest and most economical yields possible.

Tom and his wife, Carla, have four children: Allison, Ashley, Daniel and Kayla, plus eight grandchildren. They raise produce for the food pantry and house 4-H animals for the grandkids on their small acreage near Franklin, Ind.

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