Triticale Production and Management

Field Selection
Variety Information
Seeding
Fertilizer
Weeds | I nsects | Diseases
H arvesting
S torage

Field Selection

Select fields with good drainage, sandy loam to heavy clay soil textures. Avoid fields that had cereal crops and forage grasses in the previous year to reduce disease pressure and optimize yields.

Variety Information

Performance Testing

Variety performance, acreage, seeding date and crop rotation affects on yield.

Manitoba Management Plus Program by Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation

Seeding Triticale

Treatments
There are no seed treatments available.

Dates
April 15 to May 15. Triticale must be sown as early as possible for maximum yields.

Rates
2 to 3 bu/acre depending on seed size to achieve a plant population of 24-30 plants/ft².

Circumstances requiring heavier rates of seeding are large seed size, low germination, abundant moisture, deep seeding, heavy-textured soils, rough seed bed and heavy weed pressure.

How to calculate optimum seeding rates using plant population.

Circumstances requiring heavier rates of seeding are large seed size, low germination, abundant moisture, deep seeding, heavy-textured soils, rough seed bed and heavy weed pressure.

Seeding Depth
1 to 2 inches. Triticale should not be placed deeper than necessary to ensure contact with moist soil. Decreased emergence and weaker plants may result from deeper seeding.

Fertilizer Requirements for Triticale

General

For specific recommendations, have your soil tested. If soil analyses are not available, a general recommendation is as follows:

Nitrogen (N):	Apply 0-20 lb/acre N following fallow or legume breaking, 20-40 lb/acre N following grass and grass-legume breaking, and 40-60 lb/acre N following stubble. A shortage of nitrogen will significantly reduce yield. The primary nitrogen deficiency symptom is leaf yellowing, starting with the older leaves.
Phosphate (P₂O₅):	Apply phosphate at 30-40 lb/acre. The primary phosphorus deficiency symptom is leaf purpling/browning, starting at the tips of older leaves on seedlings.
Potassium (K₂O):	On sandy textured or organic soils, apply potassium at rates of 15-30 lb/acre. Where required, potassium should be placed with the seed. Deficiency symptoms are difficult to detect but include short inter-nodes and weak stems. To confirm suspect deficiencies, conduct a tissue test.
Sulphur (S):	Low sulphur levels can occur in any Manitoba soils. When required, apply 15 lb/acre of sulphate sulphur.

Further information on Fertilizer use in Manitoba

Weed Control

There are a limited number of herbicides available for weed control.

Weed seeds that cannot be cleaned out, and are considered foreign matter causing downgrading, are: cow cockle, ragweed, tartary buckwheat, vetch and wild oats, non-cereal domestic grains such as peas, corn, domestic buckwheat, lentils and cereal grains.

How to obtain printed copies of the Field Scouting Guide and Guide to Crop Protection.

Insects

Grasshopper, aphids, armyworms, wheat midge, and cutworms can damage triticale.

How to obtain printed copies of the Field Scouting Guide and Guide to Crop Protection.

Diseases affecting Triticale

Triticale is slightly more susceptible to ergot than wheat. If ergot is found in a field, rotate with a non-susceptible crop for one year to reduce incidence. Cultivate fields following harvest to bury ergot bodies at least two inches. Mow grass headlands and roadsides before heading to reduce spread. If the seed source contains ergot bodies, storage for more than one year reduces their viability to almost zero. Ergot body levels in the harvested grain above 0.1 per cent may be toxic in livestock feed.

There are no fungicide seed treatments available. To reduce risk of incidence of leaf rust, stem rust, damping off and fusarium, avoid sowing on land that had barley, rye, triticale and wheat the previous year.

Also refer to Scouting for Diseases.

Crop disease identification, scouting techniques, economic thresholds.

For information on varietal differences to disease susceptibility consult Seed Manitoba.

How to obtain printed copies of the Field Scouting Guide and Guide to Crop Protection.

Harvesting Triticale

Swathing
Triticale is more susceptible to sprouting in the swath than hard red wheat. Straight combing is advisable, since it has been successful in minimizing sprouting damage. If swathing is required, it may be swathed, without loss of yield, bushel weight or quality, when the kernels have 35 per cent moisture or less.

Combining
Combine settings should be similar to wheat. Care should be taken to reduce the number of cracked kernels by slowing the cylinder speed.

Triticale with a moisture content of 14 per cent can be safely combined without the need for drying. Kernels with a moisture content of 20 per cent can be combined and dried without loss of quality.

Storage

Moulds and mites tend to be inactive when storage moisture is below 13 per cent. If storage temperatures are below 8° C, 3° C and -8° C, insects, moulds and mites, respectively, are inactive.

For specific information on:

seed treatments, refer to the current Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Guide to Crop Protection.
integrated management of weeds, crop pests and diseases, refer to Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Field Scouting Guide.
pesticides, refer to the current Guide to Crop Protection.
optimizing fertilizer use, refer to Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Soil Fertility Guide.
making varietal choices based on agronomic characteristics, refer to the current Seed Manitoba.

These and other Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives publications are available from your local extension office.

For further information, contact your GO representative.