Evaluation of chicory cultivars and accessions for forage in south-eastern Australia
Guangdi D. Li A F G , Zhongnan Nie B F , Amanda Bonython C F , Suzanne P. Boschma D F , Richard C. Hayes A F , Andrew D. Craig C F , Greg M. Lodge D F , Bronwen Clark B F , Brian S. Dear A F , Alison B. Smith A , Steven Harden D and Steve J. Hughes E FA EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Alliance between Industry and Investment NSW and Charles Sturt University), Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.
B Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Private Bag 105, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
C South Australian Research and Development Institute, Struan Research Centre, Naracoorte, SA 5271, Australia.
D Industry and Investment NSW, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, 4 Marsden Park Road, Calala, NSW 2340, Australia.
E South Australian Research and Development Institute, Plant Research Centre, Waite Campus, SA 5001, Australia.
F Future Farm Industries CRC, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: guangdi.li@industry.nsw.gov.au
Crop and Pasture Science 61(7) 554-565 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP10011
Submitted: 12 January 2010 Accepted: 19 May 2010 Published: 6 July 2010
Abstract
The comparative herbage production and persistence of 7 chicory cultivars and 14 accessions collected from diverse regions of the world were evaluated over 3 years in 5 agro-ecological environments across New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (Vic.) and South Australia (SA). Results showed that all cultivars had higher herbage yields than the accessions, but varied greatly among sites. Averaged across all cultivars, total herbage yields were up to 24.6 t DM/ha over 3 years at the Hamilton, Vic. site, but as low as 6.9 and 5.7 t DM/ha at the Wagga Wagga and Bookham, NSW sites, respectively, where chicory only persisted for 2 years. In contrast, the average herbage yield of all accessions was only one-half of that produced by the cultivars at the Hamilton site and about one-third of that at the other 4 sites. All cultivars and accessions persisted well under the favourable climate conditions experienced at the Hamilton site. In contrast, severe drought in 2006 resulted in the death of chicory swards at the Wagga Wagga and Bookham sites, and substantial declines in persistence at the Manilla, NSW and Willalooka, SA sites. Nevertheless, accessions collected from Australia and Asia were more persistent than some of the cultivars and may provide opportunities to select genotypes better adapted to intermittently dry mixed farming systems in south-eastern Australia. Our findings indicated that the current cultivars were best suited to sites similar to the Hamilton site in the winter-dominant, higher rainfall zone of south-eastern Australia. Under these conditions chicory was likely to be productive and persistent for 4 years or longer. In the drier mixed farming zone, chicory may be more suitable in shorter (2–3-year) pasture phases. Further research is required to identify those factors contributing to poor persistence.
Additional keywords: acid tolerance, Cichorium intybus, mixed farming system, perennial herb.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the landowners/managers for their cooperation and land use, viz. Greg Scott, Wagga Wagga, NSW; Richard Hyles, Berremangra, NSW; Angus and Tiffany Faulks, Manilla, NSW; and Guy Cunningham, Willalooka, SA. We thank all technical staff involved in the field evaluation program: Mark Brennan, Brian Roworth, Craig Lihou, Justin Tidd, Trevor Rowe, Carolyne Hilton, Steven Biggins and Jamie Smith. Dr Sean Miller was involved in the preparation of the Willalooka site and some measurements in year 1. All seed, except Commander chicory (supplied by Heritage Seeds Pty Ltd), was provided by the South Australian Research and Development Institute Genetic Resources Centre, Waite Research Institute, Adelaide, SA. The project received financial support from Industry and Investment NSW, SARDI, DPI Victoria, and the Grain Research and Development Corporation through the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity.
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