Perennial rye as a grain crop in Alberta, Canada: Prospects and challenges

Abstract

Perennial crops may present an opportunity to produce grain in a more environmentally and economically friendly manner. We examined principal agronomic traits of perennial cereal rye (Secale cereale L. × S. montanum Guss ‘ACE‐1’) at two field sites in Alberta, Canada, over two consecutive growing seasons. Treatments included perennial rye, fall rye (S. cereale L. ‘Hazlett’), spring rye (S. cereale L. ‘Gazelle’), and perennial forage (meadow brome [Bromus commutatus Schrad.] and alfalfa [Medicago sativa L.]) with and without N fertilizer addition. Grain yield of the perennial rye in Year 1 averaged 64 and 51% of the fall and spring rye yields at the Breton and Edmonton sites, respectively. Grain yield of the perennial rye in Year 2 at the Edmonton site averaged 42% of the fall and spring rye. Perennial rye at the Breton site in Year 2 was subject to competition with weeds, resulting in minimal grain productivity. Perennial rye at the Edmonton site yielded significantly more aboveground biomass (without grain) than the other rye crops over both years. Likewise, perennial rye at the Breton site produced 1.5 times more aboveground biomass than the perennial forage in Year 1. The experiment was terminated after virtually nonexistent regrowth at both sites in the spring after two growing seasons. Overall, perennial rye may be an option as a dual‐purpose forage‐grain crop, however, perennial rye cropping beyond 2 yr faces issues of winter survival and weed competition; hence, multi‐year perennial rye cropping is not yet a feasible option for cold temperate conditions.

Grain Yield Potential of Intermediate Wheatgrass in Western Canada

“…The perennial grain system used in this study with its low inputs could help reduce agriculture's carbon footprint, especially in marginal areas where annual crop production is limited. Carbon sequestration is one of the purported benefits of perennial grain systems [4,16]; however, it will be dependent upon a range of factors including the duration of the stand, soil type, and environmental conditions. Enhancing or at worst maintaining soil health and quality should be seen as positive outcomes of perennial grain production, and this study indicates the potential for consistent reproductive efforts enhancing the outlook for long-term crop stands and the potential benefits derived from them [4].…”

“…Perennial crops are rarely grown compared to their annual counterparts, although the recent success of perennial rice has increased expectations [14]. Grain yield deficit compared to annual grain crops is the primary reason for the lack of adoption [15,16]. As a result, the added economic value of perennial grain crops, such as dual-purpose IWG, for food and feed is critical to their adoption, as ecological benefits are not currently compensated for [17].…”

Rye Production under Acid Soils and Drought Conditions: An Alternative for the Sustainability of High Andean Livestock Farming in Peru

“…Cultivated rye has some fundamental agronomic traits, including crushing, grain yield, and disease resistance [5], and forage production in several cuts per sowing [12], indicating the potential as a dual-purpose crop [2,13], with a significant potential to fix atmospheric C, being a suitable option in agro-ecosystems under acidic pH soil conditions [14]. Likewise, ambient temperature is exceptionally influential on the grain yield of rye, while relative humidity is a secondary factor [15]; also, rainfall (mm) during the vegetation period influences grain yield (R 2 = 0.7370-0.9047), increasing from 3.0 to 6.4 kg ha −1 per mm [16].…”

Perennials as Future Grain Crops: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Moreover, the development of new diploid perennial sorghum lines, which can be readily crossed to locally adapted grain sorghum varieties, could hopefully accelerate development of perennial sorghum throughout the crop's current production range (Cox et al, 2018). Other perennial grains currently under development through wide hybridization are rye (Daly et al, 2022) and perennial wheat (Hayes et al, 2018), with work underway to enhance perennial survival and ensure genetic stability.…”