Triticale in Iberian dehesas

Productivity of natural pastures in Iberian dehesas is usually low and very variable (on average 1440 kg dry matter (DM) ha/yr). They also provide low nutritive value forage, containing 4-20% legume fraction, 9-12% crude protein, 44-59% neutral detergent fibre and 28-37% acid detergent fibre. In order to improve the productivity and quality of herbage biomass, and to supplement the natural pasture during shortage periods, farmers have traditionally implemented two practices: the sowing of well-adapted productive pasture species, and/or the sowing of forage crops. In dehesa ecosystems, those fodder crops often play a fundamental role in livestock feeding as a complement to natural pastures, both in productivity and in quality. Triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye, is now becoming a popular fodder crop on Mediterranean livestock farms