Gerald LaNesa, age 14, Harrisburg, Pa., for his question:

WHERE DOES TRITICALE GROW?

Triticale is a grain produced by crossbreeding wheat and rye. It has a high nutritional content because it contains more usable protein than either wheat or rye. The first triticale breeding program was set up in Sweden in the mid 1930s. By the 1950s, many other countries, including the United States and Canada, had such programs.

Today, triticale is grown in many countries. Some varieties can grow in cold climates and in sandy or acid soil while others resist rust better than wheat does and produce a higher yield than rye. Someday, triticale may become an important food in countries not suited for wheat production.

Triticale is now used in many countries mainly as an animal feed. It also serves as a pasture crop because livestock often grows faster when fed triticale rather than other grains.

Triticale plants stand from 18 to 41 inches tall. Each plant has six  to 10 inch long narrow leaves. The head consists of many spikelets each of which holds three to five kernels of grain.