United Kingdom
May 11, 2026
Switching to hybrid rye as an alternative to wheat this autumn, could lead to added cropping security, according to crop and seed specialist Rory Hannam.
Once viewed as a niche crop, hybrid rye is rapidly growing in popularity, and is making increasing sense as second and third wheat margins are squeezed by high input costs, lower commodity prices and increasingly variable yields.
Rory Hannam is product manager at leading plant breeder KWS. He observes that rising market demand from anaerobic digestion (AD) plants is also playing to the appeal of hybrid rye for the season ahead.
“There is a guaranteed market provided by AD,” he says. “There are 438 of a total of 640 plants in the UK currently running on feedstocks derived from 40,000 hectares of hybrid rye crops.
“Most plant operators offer staged payments; 30% at drilling in September or October, 30% in March or April, and 40% on intake, which is a huge benefit to farmers in terms of cash-flow.”
From an arable perspective, he says hybrid rye fits well with the direction of UK agriculture, with specific advantages over other cereals.
“The crop can outperform wheat as a second or third cereal,” he says. “Its wide drilling window from early to mid-September to early-November also spreads the autumn workload, and if whole-cropped in June, it also provides an opportunity to get on top of grassweeds and provide early entry for oilseed rape.
“It’s extensive, deep-rooting habits make it one of the most drought-tolerant crops available, requiring 25%- 33% less water than wheat.
“At negligible risk from take-all, septoria, eyespot and BYDV, hybrid rye also has excellent resistance to yellow rust, which is becoming a bigger concern in other cereals.”
He says another benefit of the crop is its substantially lower nitrogen and fungicide input requirement, at 100kgN/ha less than second or third wheat.
“Grain yields of 10-13t/ha are common, with higher straw yields providing a useful additional income for livestock farmers.
“Our well-established varieties KWS Serafino and KWS Tayo were joined on the 2026/27 AHDB Descriptive List by KWS Emphor, KWS’s highest yielding variety, for grain or wholecrop.
“KWS Emphor features strong brown rust resistance and excellent drought tolerance and was the highest yielding variety on the AHDB Descriptive list in the dry harvest of 2025.”
He says hybrid rye is a wise choice for those who’d typically opt for wheat, who are seeking more security this autumn, with consistent yield potential, attractive economic credentials, excellent weather resilience, and secure end markets.
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