A Pan-Canadian Ethanol Feedstock Study to Benchmark the Relative Performance of Triticale.

One of the short term objectives for the Canadian Triticale Biorefinery Initiative (CTBI) is to benchmark the relative performance of triticale (X Triticosecale W.) to wheat classes (Triticum aestivum L.) currently utilized for ethanol production. Ten cultivars: three triticale, two Canada Prairie Spring (CPS), three Canada Western Soft White Spring Wheat (CWSWS), one Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS), and one General Purpose (GP) from eastern Canada, were grown at multiple locations across Canada from 2007-09.  When averaged over all environments, the grain yield of triticale cultivar Pronghorn was similar  to the highest yielding cultivar Hoffman. Triticale and the GP cultivar, Hoffman, had significantly [LSD (P<0.05)] higher biomass than the other cultivars. Crop maturity of triticale was longer than the wheat cultivars with the exception of AC Ultima, which was similar to CWSWS. Starch content of triticale was also competitive as AC Ultima and Pronghorn had similar starch content to the CWSWS class.  Elevated pentosan levels, which are undesirable in ethanol production, were observed in one triticale cultivar, Tyndal, but the other triticale cultivars exhibited levels similar to wheat in 2007. The highest value (15.3%) for total ethanol concentration in 2007 was observed in Pronghorn triticale, which was significantly higher than Sadash and AC Andrew (CWSWS), Superb (CWRS), Tyndal (triticale), and Hoffman (GP).  In summary, results indicate that triticale parallels wheat for consideration as an ethanol feedstock, but is superior for biomass production.