Jimmy R. Parish1, Richard H. Watson2, Bisoondat Macoon1, Brian S. Baldwin1, David J. Lang1, and Allen S. Hubbard1. (1) Mississippi State Univ., PO Box 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (2) AgResearch Limited, PO Box 60, Lincoln, New Zealand
Chicory contains sesquiterpene lactones (SL), a secondary plant metabolite that may prove beneficial to the persistence and productivity of chicory in the Southeast. The objectives of this study were to determine the dry matter (DM) yield, persistence, nutritive value, and SL level of three chicory cultivars bred for different levels of SL. Plots of each cultivar were established during fall 2004 in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. Four even applications of N (50 kg/ha/application) were applied to the plots in March, May, July, and September of 2005 and 2006. Dry herbage samples were weighed for DM yield and analyzed for IVDMD, NDF, ADF, and CP. Sesquiterpene lactone levels were determined by HPLC. Establishment and annual decline in stand density were unaffected by cultivar. Mean stand density was 68% and 36% in years 1 and 2 respectively. Total annual yield for year 1 (14.2 Mg ha-1) was close to 1.5-fold that of year 2 were (9.9 Mg ha -1). Cultivar affected DM yield during the spring each year. No differences in nutrient value were observed between cultivars. Overall, chicory has high nutritional value with the potential to achieve high liveweight gains in ruminant livestock. There were clear cultivar and seasonal effects on SL levels; however, this did not appear to be linked to plant productivity or persistence. These results indicate that chicory may offer a productive high quality forage crop for Mississippi’s grazing livestock producers.
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