ABSTRACT
Rye grain is used for distillation of rye whiskey, and the crop is grown to some extent for grazing and forage. Rye excels in its adaptation to light sandy soils and to soil acidity and it is the most cold-hardy of all grain crops. Cultivated rye belongs to the species Secale cereale L. of the grass family. The differentiation of the shoot apex of rye and the development of its inflorescence have been described and ilustrated in detail by Bremer-Reinders and by J. Bruinsma and J. Swart. Vernalization of rye, similar to wheat, may be obtained by exposure to low temperature at any stage starting with the development of the grain on the seed parent, and proceeding to imbibed seeds and also to developing seedlings until the onset of floral initiation. The abundance of pollen grain with long viability and the earlier male than female meiosis are certainly well adapted to the protandrous flowering and predominant cross pollination in rye.
