Triticale, the successful first man made cereal. Depending on the ploidy level Triticale can be divided into three main groups:
1. Tetraploidy: Crosses between diploid wheat and rye.
2. Hexaploidy: Crosses between tetraploid wheat Triticum durum (macaroni wheat) and rye.
3. Octoploidy: Crosses between hexaploid wheat T. aestivum (bread wheat) and rye.
Hexaploidy Triticale hybrid plants demonstrate characteristics of both macaroni wheat and rye. For example, they combine the high-protein content of wheat with rye’s high content of the amino acid lysine, which is low in wheat.
