Farming
Tritordeum
Farming
Tritordeum
General recommendations
Previous crop
- For tritordeum grain production, it is preferable that the previous crop is not a cereal, the previous year
- For tritordeum seed production, it is preferable that the previous crop is not cereal, the two previous years
- It is recommended, if possible, that the previous crop be a legume, to take advantage of the nitrogen fixed by it
Preparatory work
- In general, the work carried out in the cultivation of wheat in the area will be carried out and will depend on the type of stubble and the autumn work.
Type of soil
- Its adaptation is wide, although it prefers soils that range from neutral to moderately alkaline
- Regarding the type of soil, it obtains its highest productions in Calcisols and Vertisols type of soils, although its adaptation is extensive like most of the wheats
Drilling date
- Autumn sowing: between October 15th and November 15th
- Spring sowing: between February 15th and March 15th
Drilling density
- We recommend a dosage between 150-180 kg/ha
- The same methods and machinery will be used as in wheat
Fertilization
- Taking into account that the extractions per ton of NPK harvest are approximately 30-15-20; for an expected production of 5 tons, it would be necessary to contribute: 150 Nitrogen Units (UN), 75 Phosphorus Units (UP), 100 Potassium Units (UK)
- Background fertilizer: in this fertilizer the total needs of Phosphorus and Potassium will be applied and only 20% of the total needs of Nitrogen, we recommend applying a background fertilizer that has the proportion 1-2-3, although it will depend of the previous crop or soil analysis
- Cover fertilizer: we would contribute the total remaining Nitrogen needs (80%). It would be provided in two doses to avoid losses due to washing.
- In the first covert we would apply 60% of the total Nitrogen needs and it will be done at the end of the tillering. In the second cover we would apply 20% of the total Nitrogen needs and it will be applied when we see the flag leaf appear.
- The fertilization calculations are made to cover the estimated extractions for a harvest of 5 tons per hectare, this calculation will be adapted to the specific plot
Harvest
- Harvesting is started only when the crop is adequately dry (ideally in the afternoon) and with low grain moisture (less than 12%, 9-11% is ideal), tritordeum glumes are tougher than wheat and threshing is more efficient at low moisture levels.
- When starting to harvest, check that no grains or unthreshed ears are being expelled with the straw fraction and that the combine is not excessively breaking grains - and make adjustments as necessary.
- The correct calibration of the combine is very important for an efficient harvest because the threshing of this cereal, although depending on the variety, is generally harder than that of bread wheat and is more similar to rye or triticale , so the calibration of the combine should be varied accordingly.
- With regard to sieves, it should be noted that the tritordeum grain is elongated compared to durum or bread wheat grains, so it is important to be careful with the sieves - with configurations for large diameter grains such as durum wheat grain loss will occur.
- Harvesting with the standard calibration for durum wheat and without proper control of threshing efficiency can result in significant tritordeum crop losses.
- With modern commercial combines, grain threshing is much more efficient and these are usually operated by professionals who can select the correct settings without difficulty and most parameters can be automatically monitored and changed from the cab. However, it is important to take samples from the grain tank and from the straw, to monitor the threshing efficiency and to check that the grain is not being damaged.