Effect of Date and Rate of Seeding on the Performance of Triticale in Comparison to Wheat¹

Triticale hexaploide Lart. cult. ‘Rosner’ and Triticum aestivum L. cult. ‘Manitou’ were sown on four dates and at eight rates in separate, 2‐year experiments at the University of Manitoba. Of the two cultural factors examined in this experiment, date of seeding had a far greater impact on yield than did rate of seeding. Delayed seeding severely reduced grain yields from triticale relative to yields from wheat. When the seeding date was delayed from April 20th (earliest date in this experiment) to May 5th (which corresponds to the general date of seeding for the area), yields for triticale were reduced 16% compared to 9% for wheat. In terms of comparative yield potentials of the two species, this delay resulted in an overall reduction in the yield advantage of triticale over wheat from 34% to 24%. The optimum rate of seeding for triticale was 100 kg/ha. Seeding rates of 68 to 102 kg/ha (1 to 1 1/2 bu/ac) are recommended for wheat in western Canada. Kernel weights of both species were reduced with increased seeding rate however, their protein content was not affected.