If you planted fall triticale last fall, you will want to maximize your yield and quality this spring. Below is a list summarizing the March 2020 edition of Thomas Kilcer’s forage newsletter (Advanced Ag Systems). You can access the complete newsletter here (highly recommended as it goes into much more detail).

Key Points

… the warm temperatures have started the winter forage. This is the crop that gives you the earliest and the highest quality forage to support production by your top producers. Now is the time to add nitrogen and the critical sulfur so you can save on soybean meal by harvesting high protein forage.

The yield potential was mostly set last fall depending on planting date, and any fall nitrogen available (for on-time planting, up to 60 lbs. N/a in the fall is beneficial to next spring yield). These two critical factors generate the number of fall tillers that set the yield potential for the following spring. Of the two, planting date is the most important. Even if you planted later, there is still potential for economical yields as long as the stand came through the winter.

For any nitrogen application to winter forage or to intensively managed grasses, sulfur is critical for protein formation.

… adding extra nitrogen without sulfur only gave us 12% crude protein.

It is common for farms to apply 75 to 100 lbs. nitrogen/acre in the spring. Even with manure before planting, we are suggesting to increase this to at least 125 lbs. N/ acre to boost protein and save on soybean meal. Remember, a 3-ton dry matter yield at flag leaf (easily achieved with on-time planting), will remove 192 lbs. of nitrogen/acre at 20% crude protein.

Caution: do not try this higher rate on rye grain winter forage. It is very prone to lodging above 50 lbs.

Do not apply nitrogen on snow-covered ground. Losses were as high as 44% with an average of 26.3% loss when applied to cold or frozen surfaces, especially if they have some snow on them.

It is highly suggested to add an anti-volatilization agent even under low temperatures in the spring. This will inhibit the urease enzyme from splitting the urea into ammonia that is then could be lost. Treated urea loss was 63% less than the untreated in the same field. The anti-volatilization compound increases the chance of full return on your fertilizer money.

You want to harvest at flag leaf stage (stage 9) for optimum quality at high yield. Stage 8 does not have higher quality than 9 and had a substantial yield penalty from harvesting too soon. If temperatures are normal to warm, then you need to push to harvest at stage 9-flag leaf stage. Conversely, if it is at stage 8, you have a sunny day, and a week of rain forecasted, get it cut so you have quality forage.