Wheat and Rye Crop Rotation Agriculture

Timeline

1. 800–1300Farming regions of the Frankish Kingdom · Western EuropeManors divided arable land into three fields, growing winter wheat, spring barley or oats, and fallow in turn, while rye gradually spread as a supplementary staple on poorer or higher-latitude plots.
2. 1311–1320Farming regions of Northwestern Europe · Northwestern EuropeAfter the Great Famine, manors everywhere expanded rye and oat acreage, shortened fallow periods, and strengthened grain storage; the wheat–rye rotation became the core agricultural strategy for coping with climate risk.
3. 1318–1350Expansion zone of Northern and Eastern Europe · Northern EuropeRye outperformed wheat in shorter growing seasons and higher latitudes, spreading the rotation system into Northern and Eastern Europe and providing a food base for the slow population recovery of the mid-14th century.