Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack), a man-made cereal from wheat and rye hybridization, is mainly used as animal feed. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in utilising triticale for food production.

What is the difference between wheat and triticale?

As nouns the difference between wheat and triticale is that wheat is (countable) any of several cereal grains, of the genus triticum , that yields flour as used in bakery while triticale is (uncountable) a grain crop, a hybrid of wheat and rye, that gives a high yield.

Is triticale safe to eat?

Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits Modern triticale varieties are an excellent replacement for corn, because of their higher lysine content – it has a higher feed value than other cereal grains. Average lysine concentration for triticale is 0.39% compared with 0.26% in corn.

What is triticale look like?

Triticale looks like wheat but the awns resemble rye and have very membrane-like ligules. Primary Uses: Pasture, hay and silage.

How long does triticale take to grow?

Triticale can produce good dry matter yields within 60 to 80 days after planting. When planted the first two weeks of August and with adequate rainfall, spring triticale can produce from 2,500 to 5,000 pounds per acre of dry matter by mid-October.

Is triticale hay good for cows?

When triticale is harvested at the dough stage of maturity (9.0 – 15.0% protein), it is a good forage source for dry cows and replacement heifers. … Compared with alfalfa hay, triticale hay shows lower protein and CNF content and greater fiber and lignin concentration.

Why is triticale sterile?

Triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) is an artificial intergeneric hybrid between a female wheat parent (Triticum spp.) … However, these hybrids were mostly male sterile and rarely a fertile hybrid was created by spontaneous chromosome doubling.

Where is triticale found?

It is grown mostly for forage or fodder, although some triticale-based foods can be purchased at health food stores and can be found in some breakfast cereals. When crossing wheat and rye, wheat is used as the female parent and rye as the male parent (pollen donor).

Where is triticale grown?

It is being planted more routinely from the Northeast to Florida to California’s Central Valley. The varieties might be slightly different, but the benefits remain the same. Although rye and wheat are still widely grown in the world of winter cereals, triticale is now mentioned in the same breath.

Is triticale easy to grow?

Growing triticale cover crops is pretty straightforward. You just need seeds to sow. Triticale can be sown any time from late summer to early fall in any area of your garden in which you need to enrich the soil or prevent weed growth.

Article first time published on

How do you grow triticale?

Triticale should be seeded using a standard grain drill about ½ to 1½ inch deep. Plant about 100 – 120 pounds per acre. Use lower rate for grain production and higher rate for forage. Triticale does not tiller as much as wheat.

Is triticale good for the soil?

The autumn growth of triticale has another benefit: soil health. Triticale’s roots are tenacious, holding the soil in place through difficult winter and spring months. Further, when left in the field, the roots and top growth decompose. This returns more organic matter and nutrients to the soil.

Is triticale good for humans?

The study revealed that–having considerable variation–triticale grains are very rich in beneficial elements such us Ca, Mg, P, Cu and Zn. Dietary fiber (DF) content of triticales were between the rye and wheat controls (10-15%).

Is triticale good for horses?

Rolled or flaked processed triticale can be used as the sole cereal grain in diets for horses. Due to its high starch digestibility, triticale may even be superior to other grains for horse diets.

What can you do with triticale?

Triticale flour – can be used to make biscuits, rye-type crispbreads, cakes and muffins. The flavour and texture of breads made from triticale are similar to that of light rye bread.

How late can I plant winter triticale?

Our research has shown that late- planted (mid-October) winter triticale produces a grain yield equal to that of early-planted (first week of September) winter wheat. Early-planted winter triticale produces an average 18% greater grain yield compared to early- planted winter wheat.

How tall does triticale get?

Most triticale varieties grow to a height of 30-40” before harvest, but because the plant grows a bit more slowly than spring wheat, annual grasses and other weeds can be problematic.

How tall does triticale grow?

Triticale is a mix between wheat and a cereal rye plant. As far as amount of growth it is very similar to that of a cereal rye plant, growing three to five feet in height.

Is Quadrotriticale real?

Quadrotriticale is Real and Renewable The Canadian-grown crop Triticale, a combination of wheat and rye together, can grow in areas where there is little water and land nutrients.

Is triticale good for deer food plots?

Triticale is a great crop for any fall food plot. It is very versatile, deer love it and it assists the growth of other crops, such as winter peas (make sure to check out our article on Winter Peas). … Since it is a “hybrid” of the winter rye and winter wheat, it is more stress resistant and disease resistant.

Can you graze triticale?

Triticale will be ready for spring grazing 2 to 3 weeks later than rye in spring but will continue to provide good forage several weeks later into late spring than rye. … It can be planted in mid-summer and be ready to graze, weather permitting, within 5 to 6 weeks.

Will triticale reseed itself?

Triticale does not tend to reseed itself and become a “weed.” In 2015, a year with much better rainfall, he said they collected the following yields: rye, 8,392 pounds per acre; triticale, 7,472 pounds per acre; wheat, 7,121 pounds per acre; barley, 7,254 pounds per acre; and oats, 6,943 pounds per acre.

How many tons of triticale is an acre?

The average yield of wheat silage in the Southern Great Plains is about 10 ton per acre. Triticale averages about 15 tons/a., while corn is at 25 tons/a..

Can you feed triticale to sheep?

Efforts have been done for the utilization of triticale as hay, silage and hole grain to feed dairy cattle and small ruminants (sheep). … Triticale showed highly significantly better results for meat production and gave also an amazing response for dairy and sheep milk production in Algeria.

Can you feed triticale grain to cattle?

Cattle: Feeding trials with cattle in North Dakota showed that when triticale was the only grain used in fattening rations, both gains and feed efficiency were reduced compared to barley rations. Usually, triticale was fed in smaller amounts and this partly explains the lower weight gains.

What is triticale silage?

Triticale: an efficient silage source for dairymen. … Triticale, a cross between wheat and rye, may offer dairymen a feed option that produces more tonnage per acre than wheat—when cut for silage. It’s an advantage they need with low milk prices. Triticale has long been a popular winter grazing source for beef cattle.

Is triticale winter hardy?

The winter hardiness of winter triticale is sufficiently good that it can be grown throughout Nebraska wherever winter wheat can be grown. Winter triticale is more winter hardy than winter barley, hence is a consistent component of a cover crop than winter barley.

Are Triticales perennial?

Annual and perennial grasses used as cover crops include various small grains (barley, oats, rye, triticale, and wheat), annual ryegrass, sorghum-sudangrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescues, and tall fescue.

What is winter triticale?

Winter triticale is a cross between winter rye and winter wheat. The resulting triticale is typically superior to rye or wheat when used in silage, hay, or pasture. It can produce 25 – 30% more straw than rye when harvested shortly before the boot stage.

How deep do you plant triticale seed?

Triticale should be seeded using a standard grain drill about ½ to 1½ inch deep. Plant about 100 – 120 pounds per acre. Use lower rate for grain production and higher rate for forage.

What is the price of triticale?

To summarize: 1) Assume a market price near $100 per ton for 50% dry matter for oat or spring triticale forage. That value can be adjusted between $90 and $120 per ton at 50% dry matter depending on value relative to the nutrient parameters described above.