Long-Term Yield Variability of Triticale (×Triticosecale Wittmack) Tested Using a CART Model

Abstract

Triticale is a promising food crop that combines the yield potential and grain quality of wheat with the disease and environmental tolerance of rye. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of genotype, environment and crop management on spring and winter triticale yield variability, using data from 31 locations across the whole of Poland, from 2009 to 2017, with the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis. It was found that CART is able to detect differences in spring and winter triticale successful growth. The yield variability of spring triticale was more dependent on the soil quality than winter triticale because of a shorter cycle duration, which increases sensitivity to nutrient supply and weather conditions. Spring triticale also needs to be sown as soon as possible to ensure a successful establishment. A strong dependence of yield variability on the availability of water for the winter triticale was observed. When growing winter triticale in Poland, with periodic excess water especially during autumn and early spring, the use of fungicides and growth regulators should be taken into account.