Green rye

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As green rye or forage rye is rye ( Secale cereale called), which is harvested at the time of ear emergence early to mid-May.

properties

One of the advantages of rye is that it develops quickly in the spring. This makes it interesting as early green fodder (April / May) in cattle farming and for use in the biogas plant (May / June). Because of its low cellulose content , unlike, for example, straw from ripe rye, it is relatively easy to break down in the fermenter.

Green rye compared to rye as whole plant silage

Rye ( Secale cereale )

Whole-plant silage (GPS) of rye, which is harvested in early to mid-June at the end of milk ripening or at the beginning of dough ripening, provides higher yields than green rye . In three-year studies, 110 to 141 dt dry matter (DM) per hectare (ha) were achieved on light to heavy sites . The fermentation to biogas delivered methane yields of 3660 m³ / ha. The yields for green rye were 51 to 73 dt DM / ha, which corresponded to 1590 m³ methane / ha. Despite the lower DM and methane yields, green rye is of interest as a substrate for biogas plants, as the subsequent cultivation of maize can achieve high DM yields per hectare and year. Maize needs warmth and is therefore only sown at the beginning of May. In combination with the winter-proof rye, the growing season can therefore be better exploited.

Cultivation and harvest

The cultivation and production technology for green rye and GPS production does not differ significantly from grain production until harvest. The winter-hardy grain is sown in Germany from the end of July to the beginning of September. In GPS production from rye, the DM content at harvest is 32 to 40%, so that harvesting can be carried out directly with a special forage harvester. Green rye, on the other hand, has a DM content of only about 17 to 20% and therefore remains on the field for about a day to wither after harvesting before it is chopped up and picked up with a forage harvester with the attachment for swaths. With a DM content of around 30%, ensiling is possible and losses through seepage are avoided.

disadvantage

The disadvantage of growing green rye is the early harvest time. Since the green rye fellings in April and May are often the only cover in an otherwise cleared field, they are visited during the day by deer, hares and ground breeders as well as their young animals, who then have no chance of escape when mowing.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony / 3N Competence Center Lower Saxony Network Renewable Raw Materials: Renewable Raw Materials - Cultivation Instructions for Energy Use and Material Recovery , Oldenburg 2008, p. 11 ff.

literature