Effect of row spacing and seeding rate on forage yield and quality of perennial cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)

Perennial cereal rye (PC rye) is being developed at Lethbridge Research Centre as a new forage crop. The first Canadian cultivar of this crop (ACE-1), tested as LRC 96-1, will have the distinction of being the first North American cultivar of PC rye and the only perennial cereal crop specifically developed for forage production. PC rye was originally developed in Germany by crossing rye (Secale cereale L.) with a perennial wild rye (Secale montanum L.) and then backcrossing the F, with Secale cereale L. while selecting for a perennial nature. In field trials, ACE-1 PC rye has produced economically viable biomass yields for 3 yr under southern Alberta growing conditions. It has similar yield and quality to barley, which is grown extensively for silage in the Canadian prairies. For proper land management and adequate forage production, ACE-1 PC rye should be seeded from mid-September to mid-October in narrow (17.5 cm) rows at a seeding rate of 80 kg ha(-1). When harvested at the soft dough stage for silage it contained less crude protein (CP) and more fibre than barley; however, in vitro gas production indicates that its dry matter (DM) digestibility will be similar to that of barley. PC rye is a valuable forage crop, but it needs to be harvested earlier than the soft dough stage to obtain comparable silage quality to barley.