Perennial rye as a grain crop in Alberta, Canada: Prospects and challenges

Perennial crops may present an opportunity to produce grain in a more environmentally and economically friendly manner. We examined principal agronomic traits of perennial cereal rye (Secale cereale L. × S. montanum Guss ‘ACE‐1’) at two field sites in Alberta, Canada, over two consecutive growing seasons. Treatments included perennial rye, fall rye (S. cereale L. ‘Hazlett’), spring rye (S. cereale L. ‘Gazelle’), and perennial forage (meadow brome [Bromus commutatus Schrad.] and alfalfa [Medicago sativa L.]) with and without N fertilizer addition. Grain yield of the perennial rye in Year 1 averaged 64 and 51% of the fall and spring rye yields at the Breton and Edmonton sites, respectively. Grain yield of the perennial rye in Year 2 at the Edmonton site averaged 42% of the fall and spring rye. Perennial rye at the Breton site in Year 2 was subject to competition with weeds, resulting in minimal grain productivity. Perennial rye at the Edmonton site yielded significantly more aboveground biomass (without grain) than the other rye crops over both years. Likewise, perennial rye at the Breton site produced 1.5 times more aboveground biomass than the perennial forage in Year 1. The experiment was terminated after virtually nonexistent regrowth at both sites in the spring after two growing seasons. Overall, perennial rye may be an option as a dual‐purpose forage‐grain crop, however, perennial rye cropping beyond 2 yr faces issues of winter survival and weed competition; hence, multi‐year perennial rye cropping is not yet a feasible option for cold temperate conditions. Core Ideas Perennial rye grain yield in Year 1 averaged 58% of the annual rye crop yields. Grain yield of perennial rye was substantially reduced in Year 2. Grain protein productivity of perennial rye can match that of spring rye. Abundant tillering of perennial rye may be an opportunity to improve grain yield. Winter mortality and weed pressure can undermine multiyear perennial rye cropping.