Balance Chicory

Product Description

• Seed Agronomy Table

  Seeding Rate - Dryland (kg/ha)

  3

  Seeding Rate - High Rainfall/Irrigation (kg/ha)

  5

  Leaf Type

  2 - 3 years

  Growth

  All year round

• Seed Treatment

  XLR8™

• Enterprises For This Seed

  Beef and Sheep

  Dairy

• Strengths

  Palatable and nutritious Rapid establishment and high first year productivity High animal growth rates Fast regrowth in warmer months Adapted to acid soils Deep root system capable of extracting water and nutrients from depth Not known to cause bloat Persistent under moderate grazing Regenerates readily if allowed to seed Retains leaf better than lucerne in dry conditions More drought tolerant than plantain

• Limitations

  Susceptible to trampling and overgrazing Requires high levels of nitrogen for maximum production Does not make good hay Poor growth rates at low temperatures Herbicide options are limited

• Plant Description
  Plant

  Broad-leafed perennial with thick, deep taproot, belonging to the daisy family. Prior to flowering, it produces one or more basal rosettes of large, soft, lush leaves with short stalks. On flowering, it develops into a sprawling bush over 1 metre high. Plants typically survive for 2 to 3 years, and up to 5 years in higher rainfall areas with careful management.

  Leaves

  Rosette leaves are 5 to 15 centimetres long, oblong or lance-shaped, and covered with rough hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces. Leaf margins vary with cultivar. Stem leaves are much smaller.

  Flowers

  Blue daisy flowers 25 to 35 millimetres across.

  Seeds

  The seeds are about 3 millimetres long, dark brown, wedge-shaped, and 5 angled.

• Pasture Type And Use

  Chicory is used as a short and medium term forage, and is an alternative to lucerne in areas where soils may be too acidic for lucerne. Valuable for finishing livestock and promoting weight gain. Can be used in dryland or irrigated pastures. Will tolerate some shading, and has been used as a cover crop in vineyards.

• Rainfall

  Chicory is adapted to a wide variety of climates, from summer dominant to winter dominant rainfall areas, receiving 400 millimetres to 800 millimetres annual rainfall. It requires some summer rain or irrigation over summer to perform best.

• Soils

  It prefers well drained, deep, fertile soils, but will grow on heavier soils providing they are not prone to waterlogging for extended periods. While it grows best on slightly acid to neutral soils, it is moderately tolerant of acid soils down to a pH (CaCl2) 4.2.

• Temperature

  Moderate to high frost tolerance.

• Establishment
  Grasses

  Annual and perennial grasses.

  Legumes

  Lucerne, annual legumes such as subterranean clover or balansa clover Other: Plantain (in coastal regions).

  Sowing/Planting Rates In Mixtures

  2 to 5 kilograms per hectare chicory with 0.5 kilograms white clover or 0.5 to 1 kilogram per hectare red clover as specialist forage in higher rainfall areas 1 to 2 kilograms per hectare chicory when combined with lucerne, perennial grasses, or sub clover. When sown with lucerne can reduce the risk of bloat. Should be sown at a depth of no more than 1 centimetre. (shallower is best).

  Sowing/Planting Rates as Single Species

  4 to 5 kilograms per hectare if sown alone. Not normally sown alone, usually combined with a legume.

  Sowing Time

  Can be sown in autumn or early spring (in longer growing season districts).

  Inoculation

  Not required. Seed is XLR8™ treated for insect control.

  Fertiliser

  Requires phosphorus, sulphur and nitrogen. Can also be sensitive to Boron deficiency in limed soils.

• Management
  Maintenance Fertiliser

  Annual dressings of superphosphate. Apply nitrogen if no companion legumes sown.

  Grazing/Cutting

  Rotational grazing management is the preferred option for persistence. A rotation of 1 week on, 3 weeks off is preferential. Plant height should be maintained between 5 centimetres and 40 centimetres. Grazing pressure in summer can be manipulated to promote leaf growth and delay stem elongation and flowering, or to encourage flowering, seed-set and regeneration. Heavy grazing in late autumn and winter can reduce persistence if there is insufficient leaf growth to replenish root carbohydrate reserves. Grazing, slashing or cutting just prior to prolonged rainfall should be avoided as this can result in stem disease and increased plant mortality. Plants are susceptible to damage from trampling and overgrazing, particularly when dormant. Chicory makes good quality silage but does not make good hay as leaves are brittle and break up on drying.

  Ability to Spread

  Can regenerate from seed under some circumstances but does not spread widely.

  Weed Potential

  It is unlikely to become a weed since plants tend be short lived, it is restricted to moderately fertile soils and is highly palatable and readily grazed.

  Major Pests

  Attacked by earth mites and white fringed weevils, although damage is usually not serious. Slugs can cause significant damage and crop failure particularly in direct drilled germinating crops.

  Major Diseases

  Charcoal rot and sclerotinia rot. It is advisable not to sow chicory after sclerotinia susceptible crops, such as pulses, lucerne, canola etc.

  Herbicide Susceptibility

  Susceptible to many broadleaf herbicides. Always check label before herbicide use. Best sown into weed free pastures.

• Animal Production
  Feeding Value

  Has a good balance between crude protein, energy and minerals resulting in rapid passage through gut and very high feeding value, sometimes the diet may lack sufficient fibre causing scouring. Dry matter digestibility ranges from 66 to 80 per cent, metabolisable energy from 9 to 11 megajoules and crude protein from 14 to 24 per cent.

  Palatability

  Readily acceptable.

  Production Potential

  Very valuable for finishing livestock and promoting weight gain. Capable of producing high growth rates in lambs (290 grams per day) and calves (900 grams per day). Also useful for flushing ewes to promote ovulation.

  Livestock Disorders/Toxicity

  Some varieties have high levels of lactucin, which causes milk taint when chicory is fed to dairy cows, particularly where it forms more than 50 per cent of the diet and is grazed too soon before milking. Leaves have been reported as poisonous to pigs and roots poisonous to cattle but these incidents appear to be rare. There are no reports of poisoning under Australian conditions. Does not cause bloat in cattle due its high condensed tannin content.

• Establishment Guarantee

  At S&W Seed Company Australia we're so confident about our seed genetics and seed quality, we will replace seed at half the original purchase price if it fails to establish satisfactorily in the first thirty days* Read more