<p>Fusarium head blight (FHB) and leaf rust are common diseases affecting cereal crops, but there is limited information available about FHB and leaf rust in rye from a Canadian perspective. In multiple field seasons, winter rye cultivars were assessed through artificial inoculation in FHB and rust nurseries. Sixty-one winter rye genotypes were tested, including both open-pollinated and hybrid cultivars. To assess FHB resistance of winter rye genotypes, field disease symptoms, <i>Fusarium</i>-damaged kernels (FDK), and deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> were measured. Leaf rust was evaluated on the penultimate leaf of ten randomly selected plants per plot, focusing on disease severity (LDS) and infection types (LIT). Rye exhibited significantly lower FHB severity and disease index than winter wheat checks. The results indicated there is resistance to the spread of FHB disease within infected rye spikes, with rye showing much lower FDK and DON than the wheat checks. Most of the open-pollinated rye genotypes were found to be moderately susceptible or susceptible to leaf rust, with only a few demonstrating lower leaf rust disease severity than others. In contrast, most hybrids showed moderate or intermediate resistance to leaf rust, accompanied by low disease severity. Natural ergot infection was assessed by measuring the percentage of sclerotia in harvested seeds by weight. The hybrids registered in Canada generally exhibited much lower ergot severity than open-pollinated genotypes. These results provide valuable information for rye growers and breeders in western Canada.</p>