Winter Triticale: Promising New Crop for Washington's Winter Wheat-Fallow Region.

Triticale, a cross of wheat and rye that is used as a feed grain, is not widely grown in the inland Pacific Northwest because feed grain prices have historically been low compared to wheat. However, with recent price increases, there has been renewed interest in this crop.  Beginning in the fall of 2010, winter triticale was incorporated after no-till fallow in the long-term cropping systems experiment at Ritzville, WA. Late-planted winter triticale goes through the winter months in the one-to three-leaf stage, whereas early-planted winter triticale is much further developed. However, unlike late-planted winter wheat, late planted winter triticale grows quickly in the spring and produces ample grain and straw biomass. Over the four crop years, grain yields for late-planted winter triticale and early-planted winter wheat were statistically equal (averaging 3,798 pounds per acre for late-planted winter triticale compared to 4,020 pounds per acre, or 67 bushels per acre, for early-planted winter wheat. Yields for early-planted triticale were significantly greater, averaging 4,901 pounds per acre.  For the five-year period of 2010-2014, average local prices for soft white winter wheat and triticale feed grain were $6.44 per bu and $181 per ton, respectively.  At the average yields found in this study, revenues would have been $431 per acre for winter wheat, $344 per acre for late-planted triticale, and $444 per acre for the early-planted triticale.  As additional advantages, winter triticale can be grown in the same manner and with the same inputs and equipment used for winter wheat. In-crop grass weed herbicides can be used on triticale. Winter triticale grows taller and produces more residue than winter wheat, and is thus a good choice for soils prone to wind erosion. Late-planted winter triticale would “open the door” to the practice of no-till fallow which reduces blowing dust emissions significantly compared to tilled fallow. Crop insurance for triticale will likely be available for the 2017 crop year.