Triticale (Triticosecale spp)

At a glance

Lifecycle: Annual
Exposure: Full sun

Cultivation

Succeeds on lighter and drier soils than are suitable for wheat. A person-made hybrid, Triticum spp. x Secale cereale, it is often cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties. Plants are more resistant than wheat to the diseases 'take-all' and 'rust'.

Propagation

Seed - sow March or October in situ, only just covering the seed. Germination should take place within a few days.

Edible uses

Seed - ground and used as a flour. Yields can be very high, with harvests of more than 10 tonnes per hectare being achieved[K].

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Native range

A bi-generic hybrid of garden origin between Triticum sp. and Secale cereale.