Cropping after Fall Rye

[Muttley]

I have had a field of fall rye the last two years that I have used for grazing. It went to head on me and I am going to work it under this spring. I am planning on planting grass for grazing or hay for baling on it but would like to put an other crop on it this year(2003) for income. Is there any suggestions as to what I could sow that would work for me. This is marginal rolling land that used to be used for mostly wheat and barley prodution with a few canola crops over the years.

[emiled]

If I understand your question correctly, you're wondering about companion or nurse crops that could be seeded with an underseeded forage on a piece of land that's coming out of grazed (headed)fall rye.

Companion crops can have a significant effect on the establishing forage as it competes for nutrients, light, etc.

But I understand the need to get something off for income in the 1st year... General rule of thumb is to reduce the seeding rate and N fertility of the companion crop to minimize competition and get it off as soon as possible (silage, greenfeed, if possible vs harvested for grain)

Crops used would normally include barley and oats but spring triticale could also work.

Hope you have or get some reasonable moisture as grazed fall rye can be a challenge to work up as the ground is often very hard

[Muttley]

I was not planning to have a companion crop but rather seed the grass or hay next fall.

What I am looking for is a crop which I would be able to kill off the volunteer rye as I expect that to be a real problem, or at least a crop that the rye would not be a problem in the seed after harvest that could hamper my selling the crop.

[emiled]

RR canola would be an effective option but success would depend on what type of seedbed you can achieve for canola.

[Harper]

Don't know about what crop you might want to grow in 2003 but will tell you about our experience seeding alfalfa/grass mixture after fall rye. In 1999, we grew fall rye and baled it and then in the spring of 2000, we planted alfalfa/crested wheat and alfalfa/meadow brome grass on the land that was in fall rye in 1999. We got very very poor germination under very ideal growing conditions. We were told that fall rye releases a toxin that prevents alfalfa from growing - we found this hard to believe and figured we must have got poor seed but the grass is slowing filling in (although it is having a tough time with the grasshoppers and weed pressure. Just thought you might want to check into this and wondered if anyone else has ever experienced this.

[get]

The establishment problem seems to be more prevelant when the crop is stressed (ie: cover crops, low moisture). Fall rye on sand prior to alfalfa doesn't seem to be as bad, but heavier land it seems to be almost as devastating as alfalfa on alfalfa. The alfalfa toxins seem to affect establishment as far away as 16" from the mature plant / root.

[emiled]

Rye has been known to have allellopathic effects on weeds .. From research literature, it appears there are 2 chemical compounds produced by the rye that are responsible for suppressing weed growth. I'm trying to track down some information specific to canola re-cropping... But in this research information, weed suppression occurred for up to 2 months after killing the rye off... weeds included redroot pigweed, barnyardgrass, proso millet and lettuce ... will collect some info on canola