The feeding value of chicory (Cichorium intybus) for ruminant livestock

Abstract

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is perhaps best known for the extract of its roots used as an ingredient in ‘coffee substitute’ beverages. It is less well known as a grazed forage for ruminants. Thomas et al. (1952) reported the high content of some major and minor trace minerals in chicory grown in the UK, and commented on its use in pasture mixtures as a source of these minerals. Chicory was first mentioned in New Zealand (NZ) literature as an animal forage by Cockayne (1915), but a long period then elapsed before Lancashire (1978) reported its excellent value for forage production under rotational grazing in dry summer conditions. Plant selection then followed and the cultivar ‘Grasslands Puna’ was approved for commercial release as a grazed forage plant in 1985 (Rumball 1986). The use of Puna chicory has now spread throughout NZ and the variety is also being used commercially in Australia, North America and South America and is being evaluated in parts of Europe and Asia (W. Green, personal communication). Chicory is a herb, whereas other temperate forages used for ruminant production are either grasses or legumes. This paper reviews work on the chemical composition, nutritive value and feeding value of chicory relative to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and to red clover (Trifolium pratense), a legume that, like chicory, is used as a forage for dry summer conditions. Throughout this paper, feeding value is defined as the animal production response to grazing a forage under unrestricted conditions (Ulyatt 1973), with its components being voluntary feed intake (VFI), the digestive process and the efficiency of utilization of digested nutrients; the latter two comprise nutritive value/dry matter (DM) eaten.