Triticale hailed as a grain of the future

Press, 31 October 1984, Page 30

Triticale hailed as a grain of the future

AUDREY STUART

of Reuter (through NZPA) PARIS Man’s first artificially produced cereal is fast becoming a common sight in French fields and some experts are hailing it as one of the grains of the future. Triticale, a highly nutritious and sturdy grain, is popular with farmers as “it always produces a reasonable crop even under difficult conditions,” a French Wheat Producers’ Association official told NZPAReuters. .

Its many potential uses and adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions makes it an exciting prospect for developing countries and for France, the European Community’s biggest cereal producer, he said.

Already well known in North America and Mexico, triticale is only now becoming popular in the Community. Until recently almost no triticale was grown in France but in the last three years there has been a sharp increase of interest in the grain. ' Since 1980 sowings of the cereal have risen about 60 per cent a year but this is still insufficient to meet demand.

Unofficial estimates put

the area planted w'ith triticale this year about 50,625 ha but this could more than double in 1985. Triticale dates back to 1875 when a new hybrid variety of grain sprang from wheat and rye accidently crossed in nature. The name comes from the Latin for wheat (triticum) and rye (secale). But the grain was sterile and. it was not until the 1930 s that scientists found a drug to make it fertile. It was only after this that it was grown as a crop. More recently, researchers have found that crossing different types of triticale produces varieties suitable for vastly diverging climates. Recognised by its elongated “head” of grain, covered by a long, feathery beard, the plant has attracted considerable interest in both the scientific and farming worlds, an A.G.P.B. official said, adding that research was welladvanced in North America and Poland while France was catching up fast. Triticale’s main advantages over other crops are its resistance to climatic changes and its use as hay after the ears have been separated from the stalks. It also gives a similar yield to traditional crops such as wheat.

It also could produce

more usable protein per unit of land than other grains and is suitable for mixing with oilseeds for animal food, which is likely to be its main use in Community countries, the A.G.P.B. official said. But it has already been used in North America to make edible food for humans because of its high protein content. The grain’s protein contains more lysine and methionine (amino acids essential in human and animal nutrition), than other cereal grains. It makes excellent bread, usually mixed with wheat flour to make it lighter, and has been used to make unleavened bread such as tortillas. Apart from cereal manufacturers, distillers have also expressed interest in the grain as it gives a distinctive flavour to drinks. One big stumbling block to marketing triticale and further boosting its use by farmers in the Community has been the lack of import and price regulations to protect incomes when prices fall sharply, the A.G.P.B. official said. The European Commission included triticale in its rye support regulations this year. But while this is a start, minimum and maximum price levels for triticale alone must be set.