Chicorium intybus L.

chicory leaves in a field
Symbol: 
CIIN
Group: 
Dicot
Family: 
Asteraceae
Description: 

Herbaceous, biennial or short-lived perennial forb used as a pasture forage, alone or in combination with cool-season grasses and legumes. Widely adapted throughout the USA. Does best on moderately to well-drained soils with medium to high fertility and a pH of at least 5.6. 

Identification Characteristics

Type: 
Forb
Growth Season: 
Cool
Identification Characteristics: 

Composite flower is disk-shaped and feathery in appearance with rays that have square, fringed ends. Color is usually blue, although can be white or very rarely pink. Seeds are ~1.25 by 3 mm. Flowering stems are glabrous, upright, and well-branched. Prior to flowering, spring growth is a rosette, with large, lobed leaves. Taproot system is large and deep.

Climate and Soil Suitability Zones

Climate Tolerances: 

Tolerant of drought, heat, and cold

[USDA Plant Hardiness zone 4 for most cold-tolerant types; Jan mean minimum of -30 °F, -34.4 °C); American Horticultural Society Heat Zones 1-9 (<150 days above 86 ˚F (30 C)]. Requires 25-40 inches (635-1000 mm) of precipitation or irrigation.  

Soil Tolerances: 

Best suited to moderately to well-drained soils. Tolerates moderately acid to moderately alkaline soils (pH 5.6-8.4). Moderately tolerant of saline conditions (3-6 dS/m). Somewhat tolerant of water-soluble aluminum (persisted at 1-2 ppm Al3+).  

Cultivars

Perennial types: ‘Graslands Puna’ - released in 1985 by AgResearch Grasslands, New Zealand as the first chicory cultivar specifically selected as a forage plant. Introduced in the USA in 1988

‘Puna II’ - bred from Puna to provide increased winter activity.  

‘Grouse’ - released  in 2000 by Pyne Gould Guinness as a more winter-active cultivar than ‘Puna.’  

Short-term bi/annual types: 

‘Chico’ - higher level of winter production than ‘Puna,’ but with lower production in spring and summer. 

‘Forager’ - similar to ‘Chico.’  

Short-term cultivars are well suited to sowing in a summer forage crop situation or with short-term, high-production pasture mixes. 

Quality and Antiquality Factors

Quality Factors: 

Crude protein levels in chicory range from 10-32%, depending on plant maturity. Digestibility and mineral content of chicory leaves are greater than alfalfa, with digestibility of chicory leaves 90-95%. Chicory flower stems are less digestible than the leaves. Animal performance on forage chicory can be excellent with forage chicory pastures producing lamb gains of 0.6 lb/day (272 gm/day). 

Anti-quality Factors: 

Chicory contains bioactive secondary compounds. Chicory forage reduces worm burdens in small ruminants and farmed deer, offering an alternative to chemical de-wormers. The primary bioactive components responsible for this effect are sesquiterpene lactones, which are also responsible for the characteristic bitter flavor of chicory and its vegetable counterparts such as endive. Sesquiterpene lactone extracts inhibit hatching of gastrointestinal nematode eggs, and fewer infective larvae are found on chicory leaves than on grasses and legumes. However, too much sesquiterpene lactone consumption can taint milk, so dairy animals should not be allowed to graze chicory within two hours of milking. While chicory is usually highly palatable, occasionally animals are reluctant to eat it, which may be related to its bitterness.

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