PERFORMANCE OF GRASSLANDS PUNA CHICORY

Abstract

Four separate experiments evaluating Grasslands Puna chicory (Cichorium intybus) are reported. Three of these experiments used animals to measure the quality while the fourth looked at establishment and persistence on summer dry areas in Southland. Liveweight gains both with calves and lambs were higher with Puna than could be expected with conventional pastures. In an autumn trial lambs grazing Puna grew over 70 g/head/day faster than those grazing rape. Grasslands Puna established and persisted when sown in pasture mixtures in Southland. Production was maintaned at a high level after three years of rotational grazing. Keywords: Cichorium intybus; pasture quality; herbage allowance; animal performance