Summary

Rye is a typical European plant. It occupies large areas of moderate and cold regions, mainly in the northern part of the globe. This species may be cultivated in spring and winter forms, but in Europe mainly the latter form is cultivated. The biggest amounts of rye are cultivated in Eastern Europe. Among EU countries, Poland is the leader in rye cultivation, in 2009 rye occupied the area of 1.4 million ha, which constituted 16.3% in the structure of cropland. Other EU countries which cultivate rye on big acreages include Germany and Spain.

Rye is a species very tolerant of the soil. This tolerance results from a well-developed root system, small water requirements, efficient water management and tolerance towards acid reaction pH as well as free aluminium and magnesium ions. In general, rye is recommended for farms with lighter, sandy soils where the cultivation of the more demanding crops (like barley and wheat) is ineffective. Water requirements of rye in the whole vegetation period amount to around 220 mm, but at least 140 mm precipitation should occur in May and June.

The date of sowing is one of the main yield-forming factors. Optimal sowing date should facilitate the good branching of plants, which conditions a proper number of yielding stalks before winter weather inhibits the vegetation,. Late sowing causes that adventitious shoots appear in spring which in turn cause a worse stalk-forming. Moreover, young plants form a weak root system. Sowing date, depending on the latitude, extends from the first decade of September till the first decade of October. Rye is sown in the amount of 110-165 kg seeds/ha with the use of seeders with row spacing between 13-15 cm sowing at the depth of 3 cm. The size of the doses of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizers should be estimated on the basis of the amount of bioavailable forms of these components in the soil, and it should depend on the soil complex and the expected yield of rye crop.

In the case of medium soil bioavailability in these ingredients and high crop yield, these amounts should reach about 30-40 kg/ha P₂O₅ and 60-90 kg/ha K₂O. The doses of nitrogen should amount to 80-90 kg/ha, and they are used in two stages, i.e. 40-60% in the preliminary period of vegetation and the remaining part in the period of the third internode elongation.

Rye yields in commercial cultivation in the EU range between 3 to over 6 t/ha. In Poland the value of rye grain production with an average 4.0 t/ha crop yield together with direct subsidies amounted to 702 €/ha. Moreover, the value of direct surplus was 110 €/ha. The energetic efficiency of rye grain production is low, and ranges from 1.6 to 3.3. Nonetheless, it should be pointed that if both the main crop (grain) and the side-line crop (straw) are used, the energetic effectiveness of rye cultivation can double.

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