Triticale potential in Brazil

Abstract

The potential of triticale (X triticosecale Wittmack) was assessed and compared to wheat, through the Brazilian Triticale Yield Nursery, involving data from 65 experiments, covering the years of 1979-1982. Yield and test weight, in the Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná,  and Rio Grande do Sul, were evaluated. Disease resistance, plant height, enzymatic activity, and industrialization, were discussed. Irrigated trials carried out at the central Brazilian savanas (cerrados) gave the highest yields and test weights. Most trials conducted in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul gave high yields with, lower test weights. Yields, test weights, and seed availability of  lines PFT 766 and TCEP 77138, from 1979 to 1982, would permit a commercial release. In 1981 and 1982, lines PFT 7893 and TCEP 7889 gave even higher yields and test weights. Triticale showed a high resistance to mildew, leaf and stem rusts and a moderate susceptibility to scab and helminthosporiose.  α –amilase activity and pre-harvest sprouting susceptibility were higher in triticale than in wheat. Milling and baking in laboratory tests and in commercial facilities showed the aptitude of  triticale as a substitute for wheat.