MANHATTAN (KSNT) - Agricultural experts in Kansas say a new hybrid of wheat is growing in some farm fields across the state. Kansas State University recently reported in a publication on Nov. 14 that an official with the Kansas Crop Improvement Association (KCIA) has found a wild hybrid of triticale wheat in three different locations. Marion Spiering with the KCIA said the new hybrid was not created intentionally. “We found it in three locations this summer and it was a mystery plant,” Spiering said. “We didn’t know what it was, so I embarked on a quest to figure out what we were finding.” Spiering said the plant is easy to spot due to its height as it stands above the surrounding wheat canopy. The hybrids were found in south-central Kansas along with Dickinson and Marion Counties. Kansas garden expert gives tips on how to identify the weird plants growing in your backyard “At first glance, these farmers probably thought it was rye or triticale,” Spiering said. “But as they got closer to it and looked at the head, they realized it was neither. It was something new.” The KCIA tested the hybrid, discovering it was a cross between wheat and rye, marking a first for Spiering who said she "didn't know that a hybrid could hybridize again with wheat." People looking for these plants will need to inspect the head of the wheat stalks as they are more narrow and flat than what wheat should be. “I think anybody familiar with what a wheat head, rye head and triticale head looks like would be able to pick it out in their field, and know that it doesn’t neatly fit into any of those categories,” Spiering said. Spiering said the hybrid only has about three seeds per plant. KCIA testing shows the plants pose a chance of disrupting wheat production in the state. Farmers who want to get rid of the plant are encouraged to simply walk into their fields, find the hybrid plants and pull them out. K-state football player injured in Manhattan head-on crash “I want folks to know that this isn’t a big concern in Kansas right now,” Spiering said. “Seed certification is dedicated to a traceability system; all of the growers in our state have their fields inspected and they rogue their fields, so it’s not a concern. Seed certification is a great system to keep this under control.” For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf