FREEZING TOLERANCE OF CHICORY AND NARROW-LEAF PLANTAIN

Authors: Skinner, Robert; Gustine, David

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/28/2001
Publication Date: 11/20/2002
Citation: SKINNER, R.H., GUSTINE, D.L. FREEZING TOLERANCE OF CHICORY AND NARROW-LEAF PLANTAIN. CROP SCIENCE. 2002. v. 42 p. 2038-2043.

Interpretive Summary: Natural populations of chicory and narrow leaf plantain are found in temperate pastures throughout the world and are generally considered to be weedy species. However, these species have high nutritional value, are drought resistant, and could potentially form an important component of pasture mixtures if improved cultivars became available. Such cultivars have been developed in New Zealand, but because they were developed in a region with relatively mild winters, they might not have sufficient cold tolerance to survive the harsh winters that are common to the Northern USA. Using both growth chamber and field experiments, we examined the freezing tolerance of Grasslands Puna chicory, Ceres Tonic plantain, and Grasslands Lancelot plantain under well-watered and drought conditions. Plants that had been drought stressed generally had greater freezing tolerance than those that had been well-watered. Puna chicory had much greater freezing tolerance and winter survival than plantain and appears to be suitable for Northeastern USA conditions. Lancelot was more freezing tolerant than Tonic, but neither plantain cultivar had sufficient tolerance to survive winter conditions typical of Central Pennsylvania. Plantain cultivars with greater winter survival need to be developed before that species can be recommended for inclusion in pastures in the Northeastern USA.

Technical Abstract: 'Ceres Tonic' and 'Grasslands Lancelot' narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and 'Grasslands Puna' chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) have received considerable interest as potential new forages for the Northeastern USA because of their reported drought tolerance and high forage quality. However, all three cultivars were developed under New Zealand conditions and may not have sufficient winter hardiness to survive Northeastern USA winters. Growth chamber and field studies were conducted to determine the freezing tolerance and winter survival of these new forages under well-watered and drought conditions. Winter survival of chicory in the field ranged from 73% in the wet treatment to 93% following summer drought. Likewise, winter survival of plantain in the field increased from 3% in the wet treatment to 41% in the dry treatment. Survival of Lancelot plantain in the growth chamber increased from 4% in the well-watered to 16% in the drought treatment. Chicory survival was greater than survival of plantain in both controlled and field environments. Puna chicory appears to have sufficient winter hardiness to survive winters in the Northeastern United States. Although Lancelot had greater survival than Tonic, neither plantain cultivar had sufficient freezing tolerance to be recommended for use in the Northeastern USA. Improved cultivars will need to be developed from populations that have evolved under more severe winter conditions before plantain can become a viable forage for most of this region.