3 Triticale Today

In less than half a century, triticale has developed from a theoretical curiosity to a new and practical cereal. It is true that a large amount of work will be needed for the production of improved strains with higher value and usability than the material now available. However, it is justified to state that the threshold now has been passed and that triticale is here to stay'.
ARNE MUNTZING, 1979.

As a result of hundreds of trials in scores of countries during the 1980s, triticale is now becoming understood. Indeed, it is establishing itself as a crop worldwide. Although accurate estimates are difficult to obtain, a good guess is that this man-made plant is currently growing on more than 1.5 million hectares in 32 nations (see table 3.1). Of these, however, five or six countries constitute most of the area, a dozen or so are in the initial stages of introducing the crop, and the remainder are involved merely in exploratory trials. Also, little of the production is yet being used for human food; most is going to livestock.

Nonetheless, even in these formative years, triticale has arisen extremely quickly to become a commercial reality in several nations (see chapter 7). Poland, probably the world's largest producer, has close to 600,000 hectares under cultivation. France, which started planting triticale commercially only in 1980, now plants 300,000 hectares annually. The Soviet Union has at least 250,000 hectares, mainly in the Black Sea region. Other European nations with large triticale plantings include Portugal (80,000 hectares), Spain (30,000 hectares), Italy,(15,000 hectares), and Hungary (5,000 hectares).

Among non-European countries, Australia has in recent years cultivated about 160,000 hectares, mainly because triticale is more productive than wheat or barley on acid soils. The grain is at present mostly exported to Asia for poultry feed.

The United States has about 60,000 hectares under triticale, primarily in Texas and the Midwest. These are harvested mostly for forage (see Appendix A), but triticale-based pancake mixes and crackers are gaining supporters because of their savvy, nutty flavor. They are sold widely in specialty food stores. In fact, North American consumers pay a premium for triticale in bread and snacks.

TABLE 3.1 World Distribution of Triticale.

		Area
Country	Growth Habit*	(hectares)
Argentina(a)	S	10,000
Australia(b)	S	160,000
Austria(c)	W	1,000
Belgium(a)	W	5,000
Brazil(a)	S	30,000
Bulgaria(a)	W	10,000
Canada(b)	S + W	6,500
Chile	S	5,000
China(a)	S + W	25.000
France(c)	S + W	300.000
Germany (West)(c)	W	30,000
Greece	S	-
Hungary(a)	W	5,000
India(b)	S	500
Italy(a)	S	15,000
Kenya	S	-
Luxembourg(a)	W	400
Madagascar	S	-
Mexico(a)	S	8,000
The Netherlands(b)	W	1,000
New Zealand(b)	S + W	150
Pakistan	S	-
Poland(b)	W	600,000
Portugal(b)	S	80,000
South Africa(a)	S + W	15,000
Soviet Union(a)	W	250,000
Spain(a)	S	30,000
Switzerland(b)	W	5,000
Tanzania(b)	S	400
Tunisia(b)	S	25,000
United Kingdom(c)	W	16,000
United States(a)	S + W	60,000
Total		1,693,950

*S: Spring type
W: Winter type
(a)Estimate
(b)CIMMYT Survey
(c) Suijs, 1986
SOURCE: Varughese et al., 1986.

Although the current production is mainly in highly industrialised countries, there is rising interest in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. China is planting approximately 25,000 hectares annually. In North Africa, cultivation is well established in Tunisia (25,000 hectares) and has begun in Morocco. In several other African countries, scientists are gaining experience with the crop in preparation for commercial production. Brazil has 30,000 hectares devoted to triticale, and Argentina-although it had only 1,000 hectares as recently as 1978-now has about 10,000 hectares.

Although most of the world's triticale is currently used as feed grain or forage, the widespread use of the grain in human foods seems to be just around the corner. Indeed, it is already beginning to catch on. As noted, some is sold in gourmet food stores in North America, and a proportion of the crop is also being used as human food in Europe, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and a few other countries (see figure 3.5).

Already, Mexico is growing 8,000 hectares of triticale, primarily for food. About 4,000 farmers, mainly on impoverished farms in the state of Michoacan, rely on the crop. The state government supports a bakery that daily makes thousands of loaves of whole-grain triticale bread. Also, farmers are adopting triticale for making tortillas in their homes. Triticale flour, they say, produces a tortilla that is softer and more flexible than a wheat tortilla.

STATUS OF THE PLANT

As a result of these experiences in many diverse countries, it is now obvious that the research of the last few years has brought a remarkable turnabout in triticale's features. Most of the technical limitations that formerly hindered the plant have been overcome. Overall, triticale's breadmaking qualities, fertility, kernel type, yields, and field performance are reaching levels normally expected in a cereal crop for widespread use. These are described below.

Breadmaking

In unleavened bread triticale behaves like soft-wheat flour, and the breadmaking process needs no modification. This makes the crop especially promising in many countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where famine and malnutrition exist and the staple is some form of unleavened flat bread-tortillas, chapatis, or enjera, for instance.

In leavened breads triticale has not previously been able to match bread wheat. But one of the most important advances-in just the last few years-has been ClMMYT's transformation of triticale's performance in the making of raised breads.

FIGURE 3.2 Over the last decades, the plumpness of triticale grains has been raised dramatically. This is shown by the enormous increase in test weight between 1978 and 1989. The figure shows the distributions of test weights obtained in Sonora, Mexico, of triticale advanced lines in the tenth, fifteenth, and twentieth International Triticale Screening Nursery. The average test weight for bread wheat is 76 kg per hectoliter. Thus, it can be seen that the most recent triticales have test weights as high or higher than wheat's. (Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noroeste, Obregon. Mexico)

By and large, triticale grain has less gluten than wheat. However, the differences between varieties are large, and by careful selection CIMMYT researchers have found lines with gluten quality as high as that found in bread wheats. Leavened breads made with these rise to normal levels (see figure 3.1). This is a remarkable discovery, and one that could project triticale instantly into the ranks of top-flight cereals. However, even the best lines cannot yet fully compete with wheat in the most demanding breadmaking uses because of an unusual feature: they form a dough that is more sticky than normal. In small-scale bakeries this is of no concern, but in large modern bakeries with highspeed mixers a small amount (25-30 percent) of wheat flour has to be blended with the triticale before the dough will roll off the mixers in the necessary fashion.

Fertility

The mulelike sterility of this hybrid between two genera seems to have been resolved. In today's advanced triticale lines, the number of seeds in each spike (seedhead) is about the same as in wheat. Normally, more than eight of every ten sites on the spike are filled.

Shriveled Seed

In general, when triticale is grown on fertile sites and under unstressed conditions, researchers no longer consider shriveled seed to be a concern (see figure 3.2). However, when produced on marginal sites, the seeds are sometimes still somewhat shriveled. Soon, even this is likely to improve: lines whose grains remain plump under both good and bad conditions are becoming available.

Grain Yield

Dramatic rises in fertility, grain plumpness, grain size, and field performance have manifested themselves in high yields (see figure 3.3). At sites where conditions are suitable, triticale yields are commonly within wheat's range of 8-9 tons per hectare. On the other hand, at sites where conditions are marginal, the top triticale yields (although much reduced) commonly exceed those of the top wheats by 20-30 percent.

This is true, for instance, in spring triticales. The CIMMYT International Spring Wheat Yield Trials-an annual worldwide test of wheat productivity conducted at some 100 locations throughout the wheat-growing world-now include a triticale variety as a check. Over the last five years, the triticale has been the highest or second highest yielder out of the 50 wheat varieties tested.

FIGURE 3.3 A striking feature of triticale is that for more than a decade it has outyielded wheat in international trials. The figure shows the average yield of the top five triticale lines compared with the top bread wheat in the International Triticale Yield Nurseries' average of all locations. 1969-70 to 1983-84. (CIMMYT)

The situation is similar for winter triticales. Lasko, a variety developed in Poland, was included in the International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery in 1983 and 1984. In 1983, it significantly outyielded 28 improved winter wheats from 15 countries at 42 international test sites. In 1984, it significantly outyielded 23 of the winter wheats in the trials and outyielded all the wheats at 47 test sites.

Lodging

Utilizing dwarfing genes from wheat, researchers have rearranged triticale's architecture to make the plants short and rigid enough to overcome lodging. Most lines now withstand adverse wind and weather conditions as well as semidwarf wheats do.

Tillering

Although wheat is still superior, modern triticales have much improved tillering potential. They produce several stems, thereby giving more spikes and potentially greater yields. This is of special importance for helping the plants recover from frost and other damaging conditions that may kill the first spikes to emerge.

Daylength and Lateness

The late maturity that originally contributed to triticale's low yields in Mexico was largely caused by the Canadian triticales' requirements for long daylengths. Current triticales from CIMMYT stocks, however, are daylength neutral and can be grown in many latitudes and, if needed, planted at different times of year.

Eliminating daylength sensitivity has dramatically shortened the maturation time. Selection for rapid dry-down has also helped. As a result, late maturity is now seldom a problem. Since 1983, new lines of early-maturing triticales have been undergoing international testing. A few ripen within five days of ClMMYT's earliest maturing wheats (see figure 3.4).

Disease Resistance

So far, diseases have not seriously limited triticale yields. Except for two cases of stem rust in Australia, diseases have been low. Compared with wheat, triticale seems notably more resistant to leaf blotch, powdery mildew, smuts, bunts, and other fungal infections. However, the crop is not yet planted in sufficient area to trigger serious epidemics, and the Australian experience suggests that the current picture may be misleading for the long run.

One situation in which the plant could become particularly important is where Karnal bunt is a serious problem in wheat. Triticale has displayed remarkable tolerance to this disease, which is now prevalent in the bread wheat crop of northern Mexico and northwestern India, and is a potential threat to the future production of bread wheat in similar climatic regions.

Pest Resistance

Triticales, particularly the complete types (see later), are unattractive to birds because of their tough outer seed husks (glumes) and their long awns (bristles that grow out of glumes).

THE PROMISE OF TRITICALE

The plant's future now seems clear of fundamental agronomic obstacles. A mere three decades after the first practical triticales were made, the crop is ready to forge ahead into production. It has particular promise as a supplement to current foods, feeds, and brewing grains.

Food

Although most now goes for animal feed, triticale is a tasty grain that in the long run should find its way into many foodstuffs. It has bigger individual seeds than wheat, which for instance, may allow for production of toasted snack foods that are now precluded by small size. In addition, triticale is the second most nutritious grain. Of all the cereals now available for widespread commercial use, only oats have a better nutrient content (see chapter 6).

Triticale is already able to play a big role in making biscuits, cookies, and unleavened breads (for instance, tortillas and chapatis). In the long term, it has more potential for making raised breads than any cereal except wheat. It is a new addition to the world's glutencontaining grains: wheat, rye, and triticale are the only grains that can be used to make raised breads. Other cereals-barley, sorghum, and millets, for example-lack the qualities necessary for making leavened breads. As already noted, some CIMMYT triticales have gluten quality as good as that found in bread wheat. Breads made with these triticales are indistinguishable from wheat breads in texture, appearance, and loaf volume. However, as previously noted, they require slower mixing and are not suited to the high-speed mixers used in large industrial bakeries.

MARGINAL LANDS

Triticale is a potentially important addition to the global armony of weapons for combating hunger as world populations rise. It seems likely to play a role in sparing millions of the poor from the ravages of malnutrition in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its greatest promise is probably for producing flat breads in locations where wheat growing is unreliable. Given the right temperature and moisture conditions, it can grow in the same range of soils as wheat. However, on certain problem soils it performs better than wheat. Examples of such soils follow.

Dry and Sandy Soils

Under drought conditions, triticale's biomass production falls, but wheat's normally falls much further, and triticale's relative advantage becomes pronounced. In the savanna region of central Brazil, for example, triticale's biomass is frequently twice that of wheat. At ClMMYT's dryland site at Huamantla, Mexico (250-400 mm annual rainfall), triticales have consistently outperformed wheats in biomass production for more than a decade, and several dairymen in the area have switched to growing it for feeding their cows.

Acid Soils

The occurrence of acid soils is one of the most serious and widespread problems in both the lowland and highland tropics. Acidity binds up phosphorus and a few minor elements. When this happens, plants can't absorb enough of these necessary nutrients and they grow poorly, if at all. Acidity also frees up other minerals, notably aluminum, that are toxic: once absorbed these damage or kill the roots, and the crop dies.

Triticales show high yields in acid soils (with high soluble aluminum) such as oxisols and ultisols and on phosphorus-binding soils such as andosols. On acid soils, the crop's potential is unmatched by wheat. This remarkable quality has been demonstrated in Poland, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, and elsewhere. In each case, various triticales outyielded wheat. (See, for example, figure 3.6.) Generally, they had 20-30 percent higher yields than the wheats they were tested against. This is especially important where soils cannot be deacidified because of cost, remoteness, or lack of lime (see chapter 8).

Many countries-Brazil and Zambia, for instance-have huge areas of acid soils where triticale might be particularly valuable. Some also import large amounts of wheat and might benefit greatly from a locally grown bread grain.

Although breeders are creating aluminum-tolerant bread wheats, they have not, so far, been able to match triticale's levels of tolerance. In one Brazilian trial, for instance, 10 of the most aluminum-tolerant wheats were compared against 10 triticales. The top 10 yields were all triticales; the lowest triticale yielded more than the highest wheat. Information from A. Baier. Similar evidence has been gained in laboratory screening tests conducted at CIMMYT. Information from E. Villegas. Moreover, because nothing special has been done to select for aluminum tolerance in triticale, even greater potential could be inherent in the plant.

Alkaline Soils

Triticale also seems promising for alkaline soils. Preliminary findings from Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and the United States indicate that its seedlings perform better than those of other small-grain crops on highly alkaline-and calcareous soils. In the United States, a variety called "flora" has been released specifically for use on alkaline soils in Oregon. It is a winter habit variety-a little late maturing and with grains that are shriveled-yet it yields as well as wheat on good soils and much better than wheat on high pH soils.

Mineral-Deficient and High-Boron Soils

It has been observed in Australia that triticale appears exceptionally tolerant of soils deficient in copper, manganese, or zinc. Increasingly, deficiencies in these elements are recognized as widespread limitations to crop yields. Zinc deficiency, for example, occurs on many heavy black soils (such as the ustolls and borolls and montmorillonitic sails, which are found worldwide).

Also in Australia, triticale appears to be growing better than wheat in high-boron soils. This is an important early observation because boron is toxic to most crops, and its effects are now recognized as a problem in many low-rainfall areas with alkaline soils.