K-State Research and Extension

Q: At the KSRE Field Pea Plot tour last week we had some questions on various types of rye.

A: Bruce Anderson, the University of Nebraska forage specialist, notes on the difference between rye and ryegrass: the words rye and ryegrass cause much confusion. Rye (Secale cereal) typically refers to the cereal or small grain plant. It produces a grain with string flavors and colors. Flour made from it is used to make rye breads. Recently, rye has become popular as a forage crop. It grows well in the poorer soils and harsher climates than most other cereals. It survives tough winters or late planting better than other small grains like wheat and triticale. Rye can produce high forage yields but is more coarsely stemmed and less palatable than some other forages. Like wheat, rye varieties can be either winter ryes or spring ryes. When planted during spring, the spring types grow tall and will form seed if allowed to grow towards maturity but winter types may stay short with only leaves. Spring types also grow tall when planted in late summer or fall but they freeze and die over winter, Winter varieties stay leafy during fall, but survive during winter. Often they are among the earliest grasses to green up in spring, making them popular for early grazing before brome and native pastures are ready to graze.  Ryegrass sounds similar to rye in name but it is very different grass. Ryegrass are very palatable, high quality forage grasses. There are several types of ryegrass with varietal differences within each type. The biggest name confusion occurs between annual ryegrass and Italian ryegrass. Botanically, they refer to the same plants (Lolium multiflorum) but in the forage world they have acquired different meanings. These ryegrasses are not true annuals. Under mild winter conditions, especially with sufficient snow cover, annual or Italian ryegrass can survive like a perennial. The term “annual” ryegrass usually refers to cultivars that are used for turf or for cultivators us in the Gulf states that are planted in the fall and grazed during the winter and spring before dying during the summer. In our area, spring plantings grow rapidly and can produce seed heads with each growth cycle. Growth rate slows during the heat of summer and they usually die over winter. “Italian” ryegrass tends to refer to cultivators that grow more like a biennial. They produce mostly high quality leaves while growing vigorously throughout summer and fall if moisture is available. They frequently survive mild winters and produce seed heads the following spring. These cultivars have become increasingly popular for thickening winter-injured forage strands, as a companion crop for seedings of new perennial forages, and as a temporary high quality forage. We often use Italian ryegrass in mixtures with oats to take advantage of abundant early growth of oats followed by the continued high quality growth of Italian ryegrass the remainder of the summer and fall. Perennial ryegrass produces very high quality pasture. It is more persistent than annual (Italian) ryegrass but requires relatively consistent moisture and moderate temperatures to survive. It usually is irrigated and even then only lasts a few years. The different types of ryegrass readily cross with one another. The result of a cross between perennial and annual ryegrass is called by various names including intermediate, short rotation, and hybrid ryegrass. Characteristics vary widely but usually are intermediate to the parents. When purchasing seed for your planting, be sure to understand these terms so you can select the best choice for your plan of use.