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. It also has an excellent fibrous root system that makes it an excellent choice for preventing erosion, scavenging for nutrients, and also building soil structure.
Triticale has excellent grazing and forage values. In some areas when conditions are
favorable, farmers will plant the triticale in the late summer, early fall, using it for grazing that fall, allow growing back in the spring and removing a cutting under the proper management, before planting spring crops.
Planting triticale in a field that previously received heavy manure applications can help prevent nutrients from leaching through the soil profile or undergoing denitrification at the soil surface. Manure can also be applied at or after triticale planting.
In addition to having high crude protein, triticale has been shown to be a highly digestible feedstuff. In a Pennsylvania study, researchers compared the neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) of alfalfa and triticale. Alfalfa had an NDFD30 of 46, whereas triticale had an NDFD30 of 70, which ultimately translated to more pounds of milk per unit of dry matter.
Of course, high forage quality is a trade-off of high forage yield. Harvesting triticale at flag leaf stage or early boot stage will guarantee better forage quality, and it allows more time to plant a subsequent crop.
On the other hand, waiting to harvest triticale until soft dough stage or later can offer almost 50% more yield, but forage quality will suffer. At that point, it may not be practical to plant another full-season crop either.
For quality, yield and competitive prices our seeds and seed mixes are the best genetics for
the western environment and components to maximize milk and beef gain. If you're looking to double crop or interseed for maximum yield potential, we can help.
Contact our plant, forage and seed experts for more information on double-cropping options.
800-388-3659
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