ARS | Publication request: Reestablishing Chicory into Multi-Species Perennial Pastures

Submitted to: Forage and Grazinglands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 4, 2010
Publication Date: June 16, 2010
Citation: Skinner, R.H., Dell, C.J. 2010. Reestablishing Chicory into Multi-Species Perennial Pastures. Forage and Grazinglands. Available: http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/fg

Interpretive Summary: Chicory is a high yielding, drought resistance, nutritious forage, but its’ usefulness in permanent pasture is limited by poor persistence. Chicory originally provided more than 50% of total available forage in a five-species pasture mixture established in 2004, but by 2008 it had disappeared from the mixture. This research evaluated the ability of three seeding methods, 1) frost seeding in February 2) no-till seeding in March, or 3) broadcast seeding combined with hoof incorporation of the seed in May, to reestablish chicory into the productive cool-season pasture where it had originally made a significant contribution to available forage. Seedling emergence was adequate and did not differ among methods, but seedling mortality was high so that chicory only contributed 5% of total biomass by the fall of the establishment year. This research provides important information to producers interested in maintaining chicory as a component of their cool-season grazing system.

Technical Abstract: Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) has the potential to provide abundant, high quality forage during periods of drought stress, but poor persistence limits its usefulness in permanent pasture. This experiment compared the ability of three seeding methods to reestablish chicory into a grazed multi-species pasture where it had previously provided a major proportion of total forage yield. Seedling methods included: frost-seeding in February; no-till seeding in late-March; and broadcast seeding followed by hoof incorporation of the seed in May. The three methods did not differ from each other, and all resulted in adequate seedling emergence. However, survival was poor with mortality rates of 77 to 84% by early-October of the seeding year. It is likely that greater seeding rates and more vigorous suppression of existing vegetation will be necessary to successfully reestablish chicory into existing cool-season pastures.