Performance of Triticale in Comparison with Wheat, Oats, Barley, and Rye 1

Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) is a relatively new cereal crop of interest for forage, food and feed grain production. The experiments reported here were conducted at Plains and Tifton, Georgia, to compare grain yields, test weight, height, lodging, disease reaction and protein production of triticale cultivars in comparison with the best adapted cultivars of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), oata ( Avena sativa L.), barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), and rye ( Secale cereale L.). At Plains, ‘Volbar’ barley and ‘Coker 227’ oats tended to yield more grain than ‘Holley’ wheat, ‘Weser’ rye and 4 ‘Fasgro’ triticale cultivars during 5 years of testing. No differences in total protein production were noted for the 5 grain species at Plains. At Tifton, 5 years of testing showed no differences in grain yields of wheat, oats, barley, rye or the ‘Fasgro’ triticales. ‘Coker 227’ oats gave a higher percentage of protein than other grains but no differences in total protein production were obtained when all grains were considered. The newer triticale cultivar ‘6TA 227’ led the yield test in a 3 year comparison at Tifton, followed closely by ‘6TA 571’ and ‘6TA 579’.