| Agronomy 105's Weed ID | |
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Rye |
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| Rye has a spike type inflorescence and long drooping straw that is very slippery. The main use of rye in the United States today is that of cover crop. It is no longer grown much as a cereal crop. It has a couple of problems that limit its use as a cereal grain. One is that the grain shatters easily in the field which makes it difficult to machine harvest. Secondly, if dairy cattle eat rye, it imparts an off flavor to the milk thus lowering quality. The rye bread that we can buy at the store usually does not contain more than 20% rye flour. Bread that is made with high percentages of rye will have a very strong, acid flavor and is not very popular in the United States. Rye is very hardy and can be grown further north than any of the other cereal crops. |
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The long slender seeds of rye may be wrinkled, will be brown in color and often have an olive green cast. |