Tall fescue and chicory for increased summer forage production

Abstract

<jats:p>Production of summer forage is an important consideration in environments prone to extremes of heat or moisture stress. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and chicory (Cichorum intybus) are two forage species with the potential to overcome the production shortfalls of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in such environments. Trials from three New Zealand regions prone to summer drought (Taranaki, Hawke's Bay and Canterbury) were used to compare production of tall fescue and chicory with production from resident ryegrass. Consistent production advantages from tall fescue and chicory were evident in the two years after establishment. Potential production advantages can disappear in subsequent years when summer moisture levels are very high or very low, or temperatures extremely high. Moderate moisture levels in summer, indicated by moderate ryegrass production, gave the biggest relative summer production advantages to tall fescue. Keywords: chicory, dryland, forage production, ryegrass, tall fescue</jats:p>

A comparison of perennial ryegrass‐ and tall fescue‐based swards with or without a cropping component for dairy production: Animal production, herbage characteristics and financial performance from a 3‐year farmlet trial

“…The greater summer/autumn yields for tall fescue compared with perennial ryegrass observed here are consistent with other studies (Neal et al., ; Rollo et al., ). Despite this, the inability of dairy systems based on tall fescue to match the annual MS yields of those based on perennial ryegrass has also been reported previously.…”

“…Tall fescue is capable of greater annual and warm season herbage production than perennial ryegrass in regions which experience moisture deficits (Neal, Fulkerson, Lawrie, & Barchia, ; Rollo et al., ). This is likely due to its greater heat and drought tolerance (Lowe & Bowdler, ; Thorogood, ; Wilman, Gao, & Leitch, ).…”

Combining field experiments and predictive models to assess potential for increased plant diversity to climate‐proof intensive agriculture

“…Our findings agree with available evidence for forests that the enhancing effect of diversity on mean ecosystem function is greatest under adverse environmental conditions (e.g., Jucker et al., ; Paquette & Messier, ), but contrast recent evidence from grassland experiments showing that diversity‐ecosystem function relationships are robust against both nutrient addition and drought (Craven et al., ; Hofer et al., ). The forbs chicory ( Chicorium intybus ) and plantain ( Plantago lanceolata ) and the legume lucerne ( Medicago sativa ), when grown as monocultures, have all been shown to have greater drought resistance in agricultural production systems than perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne )–white clover ( Trifolium repens ) mixtures, or to enhance resistance of productivity to drought when added to ryegrass–white clover mixtures (Mills, Smith, Lucas, & Moot, ; Rollo et al., ; Skinner, ; Stewart, ). Therefore, it is unsurprising that the more diverse mixture enhanced mean annual productivity most in drier climates (Figure ).…”

Response of Forage Chicory to Various Herbicides

“…C hicory , a short‐lived perennial forb native to Central Europe, is an increasingly popular forage for livestock, dairy, and venison producers in countries such as New Zealand and for wildlife food plots in North America. It is drought tolerant (Rollo et al, 1998) and provides abundant amounts of highly nutritious, mineral‐rich forage. ‘Grasslands Puna’ chicory produced an average of 8394 lb forage/acre in Rock Springs, PA that contained great concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, and Zn (Jung et al, 1996).…”