Winter triticale production in Ontario has increased rapidly. Farmers include winter triticale in their crop rotation for many reasons:
- Cows love it! It is highly palatable and very digestible, which makes milk.
- It can boost feed inventories at a critical time, since winter triticale is ready to harvest before first cut haylage.
- Winter triticale acts like a cover crop, protecting the soil from erosion over winter.
- Many farmers spread manure ahead of seeding to help empty storages before the ground is snow-covered.
The recent boom in popularity can be somewhat attributed to research and extension work done by Tom Kilcer, previously out of Cornell University in New York State. However, Ontario has a shorter growing season than New York, and farmers here have some questions that the American studies do not adequately answer.
Experience has shown that triticale is a high management crop. While fall rye will lodge if nitrogen rates exceed about 80 lbs/acre, farmers in Ontario have applied 120 lbs/acre or more to winter triticale and had no lodging issues. Supplying appropriate amounts of nitrogen for the crop drives yield and protein content. We do not know what the most economical rate of N is to achieve good protein and forage yields while minimizing N losses under Ontario conditions.
In the spring of 2025 and 2026, many winter triticale stands suffered from heavy snow mould pressure. Snow mould is a risk when snow falls and stays before the soil is frozen. The fungus develops in the mild conditions under the snow. Some of Kilcer’s research suggests that a low rate of foliar sulphur fertilizer applied in the fall may suppress snow mould, but the practice has not been verified in Ontario.
OMAFA specialists have developed protocols for on-farm trials. Interested farmers may choose to implement either the nitrogen or snow mould protocol on their own farms starting in fall of 2026.
- Nitrogen rate trial on winter triticale – farmer protocol
- Snow mould trial on winter triticale – farmer protocol
Please contact Christine O’Reilly (705-341-4899) if you are interested in participating or have further questions about either on-farm trial.