Teagasc is indicating that approximately 5.000ha of hybrid rye were planted out last autumn - up from the 500ha figure of 2020.

Teagasc crop scientist, Dr. Richie Hackett commented: “Increasing numbers of Irish tillage farmers are now recognising the benefits of rye within a crop rotation.

“It is a high yielding crop with an enhanced level of inherent resistance to Take-All and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus.

While some Irish merchants remain hesitant to handle the cereal, demand continues to grow at farm level, with pig farmers leading the way in this regard.

Research and commercial farm trials have indicated that rye is a highly valuable, cost-effective, and sustainable inclusion in pig rations.

It acts as an excellent substitute for the likes of barley, wheat, and maize.

Moreover, the cereal’s high, fermentable fibre content acts to improve gut health, increases satiety, and reduce aggressive behaviour in pigs.

“It’s important that growers have customers for the rye crops they intend growing before actual planting takes place," Dr. Hackett.

The Teagasc representative was speaking at the launch of a new Rye Growers’ Guide, specifically drawn up to reflect the agronomy associated with the cereal crop when grown under Irish conditions.

Rye

According to Dr. Hackett, rye crops show good drought tolerance and produce high yields of both grain and straw.

The crop’s high yields and good nitrogen use efficiency contribute to a low carbon footprint and as a result can contribute towards lowering the carbon footprint of Irish arable systems.

Rye is a relatively new crop in Ireland in the modern era although it was grown in the past.

As the area began to increase, it became apparent that there was little Irish information on the agronomy of modern varieties of rye and growers were largely reliant on information from abroad.

Agronomy research on rye began in Teagasc Oak Park in 2018, to develop agronomy guidelines for the crop under Irish conditions.

This research sought to provide information to support the main agronomic decisions involved in producing rye.

A considerable amount of the research was carried out as part of a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine research grant entitled ‘Distilling and Brewing - Building Capacity’.

The new publication is the culmination of the work carried out to date.

While a considerable amount of knowledge has been generated, there are still aspects that will require more research going forward, according to Teagasc.

As a result, this guide will be updated as new information becomes available.