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Title: FORAGE CHICORY: A PLANT RESOURCE FOR NUTRIENT-RICH SITES

Author
item ALLOUSH, GHIATH - VIRGINIA TECH
item Belesky, David
item Clapham, William

Submitted to: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2002
Publication Date: 4/1/2003
Citation: ALLOUSH, G.A., BELESKY, D.P., CLAPHAM, W.M. FORAGE CHICORY: A PLANT RESOURCE FOR NUTRIENT-RICH SITES. JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE. 2003. v. 189. p. 96-104.

Interpretive Summary: Chicory is a valuable addition to the array of forage plant resources for use in pasture. Chicory grows under a range of marginal soil conditions common along roadsides and in abandoned fields, and has excellent forage production and nutritive value qualities for well-managed conditions. No clear understanding of how forage chicory responds to high concentrations of nutrients exists. We conducted greenhouse experiments to evaluate the development and productivity of chicory to ionic stress associated with excess nutrients. Our results demonstrate that forage chicory has moderate tolerance to conditions associated with large amounts of nutrients in the root environment, suggesting that chicory would be a useful species to establish on sites where high concentrations of nutrients might occur such as abandoned feedlots or manure disposal fields. Chicory growth probably would be acceptable under ionic stress conditions, and the resultant vigorous growth and accumulation of mineral nutrients in shoots, would contribute to acceptable nutritive value for grazing livestock. Plants capable of growing in and acquiring nutrients from nutrient-laden patches in the sward would help minimize erosion and nutrient transport with positive benefits for water and soil quality.

Technical Abstract: Grazing livestock create localized nutrient patches that increase soil ionic strength (IS) and influence plant productivity. The ability of plant root systems to control ion absorption and flux to xylem, and to sequester ions reaching leaf tissue in bound, non-toxic forms are means to minimize IS. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine growth and mineral acquisition responses of forage chicory (Cichorium intybus L. cv. Grasslands Puna) to increasing (0.9, 4, 8, and 12 dS m-1) ionic strength (IS) in the rhizosphere obtained by additions of NaCl/CaCl2 (1:1 M ratio). Plants were harvested four times after planting (20, 27, 34 and 41 d) to identify responses as a function of time. Increased accumulation and localization of Na in roots compared to shoots suggests that chicory restricted Na transport to shoots, and that insoluble Na in tissues increased with increasing IS. Soluble cations in shoots were about 50% of total cations, irrespective of rhizosphere IS and Na uptake. Differences in the cation:anion ratio could not be accounted for by organic acid concentrations in chicory, but substantial accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates as fructans in roots could contribute to charge balance. Our results demonstrate that forage chicory has moderate tolerance to IS, suggesting that it might be a useful species for sites with potential for IS. Chicory growth probably would be sustained under IS conditions, and the resultant vigorous growth and accumulation of mineral nutrients in shoots, would contribute to acceptable nutritive value for grazing livestock. Plants capable of growing in and acquiring nutrients from nutrient-laden patches in the sward would help minimize erosion and nutrient transport with positive benefits for water and soil quality.