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Hebridean
Rye (Secale cereale L.)
Rye has never been an important crop
in the UK compared to other cereals. Perceval (1946) observed
that "no well-marked races of rye are met with and the
number of constant varieties is small". The Hebridean rye
is the least known of the Scottish landraces, although historical
references document rye cultivation on the islands. However,
it's origin is unknown.
The rye is grown in a mixture
with oat, in order to safeguard a harvest in dry years. The
ratio oat to rye was usually given as 40 to 60 but also as 30
to 70 on the lighter soils in South Uist. No common or local
names were encountered for the local rye.
Both accessions of Rye in the SASA landrace collection have
been collected as a mixture with Small Oat (Avena strigosa
Schreb.).
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Crop and Soil Research Group
in collaboration with SASA, have started a research project
to study the genetic diversity of mixed populations of Small
Oat and Hebridean Rye. Seed collection is planned in 2008 with
morphological and molecular characterisation over a 2-3 year
period.
References
Perceval, J. 1946 Agricultural botany. Theoretical and practical.
18th edition Duckworth & son, London
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