Triticale

"It's like a grain, your barley, rye, wheat, oats." That's Jo Lynne Seufer, Risk Management Specialist for the USDA's Risk Management Agency in Spokane. She's describing triticale. According to Healthy eating.com, when a plant breeder crossed wheat with rye, the result was this new grain called triticale. Its unusual name comes from the combination of the scientific name for wheat -- Triticum -- and Secale, which is the scientific name for rye. Primarily valued for having more protein than wheat or rye, triticale also delivers more minerals and fiber than its parent grains.

It has been developed to incorporate the high yield potential and quality of wheat and the adaptability of rye and is adapted to a wide range of soil types and environments. Triticale has an aggressive root system that binds light soils better than wheat, barley or oats. Under ideal conditions, researchers have found that triticale can out-yield wheat and barley and sometimes oats. Triticale is well established as an ingredient in livestock rations. Breeding and selection programs have ensured varieties possess a range of disease and pest characteristics which can compliment disease management for other cereals.