● Provides good grazing and forage for livestock
● Well Adapted to South & Central Texas
● Helps suppresses nematodes
● Excellent choice for Low pH acid soils.
● Excellent cover crop/green manure crop.
● Adapted to light sandy -sandy loam soils.
Elbon rye is an upright, cool season, annual small grain which is adapted and planted through most of the U.S. , It is adapted to a wide variety of climate and soil conditions, but performs best on light loams or sandy soils, but it will also do well in clay soils. It can be used as livestock forage, wildlife plantings as well as for cover/green manure crop.
As a cover crop, cereal rye can scavenge nitrogen, build soil organic matter, loosen topsoil (reduce compaction), prevent erosion, and suppress weeds. In addition, cereal rye serve as a trap crop or host plant for nematodes. Once nematodes enter the the plant, they cannot escape. When the plant decomposes, it releases organic acids and stimulates soil microorganisms which further reduce the nematode population.
Generally, cereal rye performs best as a cover crop or green manure crop if it is planted with other species, usually a legume.
