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Multispecies swards, comprised of different plant functional groups have comparable production potential to high N input L. perenne swards at reduced N when legumes are included. However, information on the appropriate management of multispecies swards is limited. The effect of differing management practices on the herbage dry‐matter (DM) production and botanical composition of different sward types was investigated using a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial design plot experiment. The experiment consisted of three sward types: L. perenne‐only receiving (LP; 250 kg N ha−1 a−1); L. perenne‐Trifolium repens (LP‐TR); multispecies sward containing L. perenne, Phleum pratense, Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense, Plantago lanceolata and Cichorium intybus (MSS). LP‐TR and MSS received 90 kg N ha−1 a−1. Harvesting of plot herbage took place every 21 or 28 days to a defoliation height of 4 or 6 cm, over two growing seasons (March to November 2020 and 2021 inclusive). Annual herbage produced by both LP and LP‐TR was not significantly affected by defoliation frequency. However, MSS produced 1923 kg DM ha−1 a−1 more herbage when harvested less frequently. Unsown species contributed significantly less to the herbage DM of MSS compared to LP and LP‐TR and remained similar in 2020 and 2021, whereas the contribution of unsown species to herbage DM increased in LP and LP‐TR from 2020 to 2021, with noxious species more associated with LP and LP‐TR than MSS. Results demonstrate the role of multispecies swards in improving the sustainability of grass‐based agricultural systems in an environment of reduced fertilizer inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume-based forage plant mixtures are known to increase biomass production over the mixture species grown as pure stands (overyielding), which has partly been attributed to enhanced nitrogen availability by legumes. However, the relative importance of underlying processes of these positive diversity effects and their drivers are not fully understood. Here we assessed if outcome and causes of diversity effects depend on the legume-species genetic identity. Over five years, we cultivated different white clover (Trifolium repens) populations, a grass and forb species in pure stands and clover-based mixtures and recorded biomass yield. Complementarity and selection effects of mixtures and relative yields of mixture species were calculated based on both unfertilized and nitrogen-fertilized non-leguminous pure stands. Results showed that the clover population altered the overall strength of diversity effects as well as the direction and magnitude of their temporal trends, at least for the grass component of mixtures. Differences in diversity effects between clover populations diminished when fertilized instead of unfertilized non-leguminous pure stands were considered. Hence, a part of these differences likely results from dissimilar effects of clover populations on nitrogen availability. The findings reveal the possibility to improve overyielding of legume-based forage plant mixtures by decisions on legume-species genetic identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Clover; grass; legumes; forage; alfalfa; herbicide resistance; buttercup; chicory; proximal hyperspectral sensing EN Clover grass legumes forage alfalfa herbicide resistance buttercup chicory proximal hyperspectral sensing 249 251 3 05/17/22 20220801 NES 220801 In this special issue of NZJA, we have collected papers that focus on new science in the discipline of plant sciences. Ranunculus acris control in dairy pasture - a comparison of herbicides, plant growth promoters, a bioherbicide and pregraze mowing. Clover, grass, legumes, forage, alfalfa, herbicide resistance, buttercup, chicory, proximal hyperspectral sensing Continuing the legume theme, Gerard et al. ([7]) present an interesting data set comparing yields of eight perennial clover cultivars under field conditions over two years. [Extracted from the article]

• Red clover inclusion to a grass sward improved pre-weaning lamb performance. • Clover or herb inclusion to a grass sward improved post-weaning lamb performance. • Days to slaughter was reduced by grazing binary sward types. • Ewe performance was largely similar across all sward types studied. Ireland's competitive advantage in sheepmeat production is based on the efficient and cost effective production and utilisation of pasture. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of binary mixtures of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plus a companion forage on ewe and lamb performance at pasture. Five sward mixtures were compared, namely; i) perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.;PRG), ii) PRG plus white clover (Trifolium repens L.;PRG + WC), iii) PRG plus red clover (Trifolium pratense L.;PRG + RC), iv) PRG plus plantain (Plantago lanceolate L.;PRG + Plan) and v) PRG plus chicory (Chicorium intybus L.;PRG + Chic). Five farmlets with one sward treatment assigned to each were established which 23 ewes plus their lambs grazed from March to December for the years 2018 to 2021 inclusive. Farmlets were rotationally grazed, stocked at 11.5 ewes/ha and received 130 kg nitrogen/ha/year. Lambs were weaned on average at 15 weeks of age. Post-weaning a leader-follower grazing system was implemented with lambs grazing ahead of the ewes. Post weaning, lambs were weighed fortnightly and drafted at a live weight of 42 kg in June and increasing by 1 kg per month thereafter to produce a target carcass weight of 20 kg. Results show that lamb lifetime average daily gain (ADG) was greater for lambs grazing all binary sward mixtures relative to grazing PRG. Relative to PRG, lamb lifetime ADG was increased by between 17 g/day (PRG + Plan; P < 0.01) to 31 g/day (PRG + RC, and PRG + Chic; P < 0.001) and subsequently the number of days required to reach slaughter (DTS) was reduced by between 15.8 days (PRG + Plan; P < 0.01) to 28.6 days (PRG + RC; P < 0.001) with the addition of a companion forage. As a result of lower DTS, the average total number of anthelmintic treatments administered per lamb was significantly reduced for lambs grazing on all of the binary sward mixtures relative to PRG (P < 0.001). Scanned litter size and ewe milk yield were similar across all sward types as were ewe body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) from mating up until 6 weeks post-lambing (P > 0.05). Of the ewes retained from one production year to the next, those grazing PRG + WC, PRG + RC and PRG + Plan had a greater BW than those grazing PRG at the second mating event (P < 0.05), whilst, PRG + RC, PRG + Plan and PRG + Chic ewes had a greater BCS than PRG ewes (P < 0.05). These results suggest the suitability of binary sward mixtures under an intensive sheep grazing system to improve ewe and lamb performance at pasture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urine volume and N concentration influences relative N loading onto the soil. • Forages with low DM% present an opportunity to modulate cows' urination behavior. • Feeding chicory or plantain had a positive effect on milk production in dairy cows. • Cows fed the herbs urinated more often and greater volumes per day than ryegrass. • Urinary N concentration was lower from cows grazing the herbs than ryegrass. Urine patches from ruminant livestock are risk areas for soil nitrogen (N) loss from grazed pastures. Urine volume and N concentration at any given urine event influences the relative N loading onto the soil. Forages such as chicory (Cichorus intybus L.) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) with high water and mineral content present an opportunity to modulate urination behaviour and urinary nitrogen (UN) excreted into the environment. This study compares urination patterns, milk production and N use efficiency, of cows grazing chicory, plantain, or ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with 13% white clover (Trifolium repens L.; RGWC) herbage. Fifty-four Friesian x Jersey cows in late lactation were blocked into replicated groups of six cows, and offered one of three pasture types. Automated urine sensors measuring urine volume and timing were affixed to approximately 10 random cows per treatment for 24 h. Milk yield was similar for all treatments (19.1 ± 0.52 kg/cow.day), but milk solids production (protein + fat) were greater from cows grazing chicory than RGWC (1.86 vs 1.72 kg MS/cow.day, P < 0.01) while plantain was intermediate (1.76 kg MS/cow.day). There was large variation in urine event volume (0.13–11.6 l per event), though mean urine volume per event was similar for each treatment (3.01 ± 0.3 l per event; P = 0.24). Water, sodium and potassium intakes from herbage was greatest for chicory compared with plantain or RGWC. Frequency of urination increased with increasing water, sodium and potassium intakes and cows grazing chicory and plantain urinated more often (28.6 and 21.2 events/cow.day, respectively) than those grazing RGWC (13.9 events/cow.day, P < 0.05). Consequently, cows grazing chicory excreted 1.5 and 2.4 times more urine per day (P < 0.01) than cows grazing plantain and RGWC, respectively. Apparent N intake was similar between cows grazing chicory and RGWC, but greater than cows grazing plantain. However, UN concentrations from cows grazing chicory and plantain were similar (P > 0.05), but substantially lower than RGWC (1.3 vs 4.8 g/kg; P < 001). The reduction in UN in cows grazing herbs is mainly attributed to increased number of urinations, which resulted in urine dilution. The combination of similar urine volume per event in all three forages, frequent urinations and substantially lower UN concentration in cows grazing the forage herbs indicate a benefit from forage herbs to reduce N load onto pasture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing reliance on fertiliser Nitrogen (N) is key to enhancing the sustainability of pasture-based agricultural systems. This study assesses the effect of sward type on annual and seasonal herbage dry-matter (DM) production potential, sown species and unsown species contribution to herbage DM under an intensive dairy-calf to beef system. Three sward types were investigated in a farmlet experiment: Lolium perenne (LP; 205 kg N ha-1 a-1); L. perenne-Trifolium repens (LP-TR); multispecies sward consisting of L. perenne, Phleum pratense, T. repens, Trifolium pratense, Cichorium intybus and Plantago lanceolata (MSS). L. perenne-T. repens and MSS each received 92 kg N ha-1 a-1. Herbage samples were collected for DM production and botanical composition determination at each grazing. Further quadrat sampling was undertaken on three occasions per grazing season (early-, mid- and late-season), to enumerate the unsown species composition of swards and changes in bare ground. Over the course of the two-year study, LP, LP-TR and MSS produced annual herbage DM yields of 9950, 10,650 and 12,600 kg DM ha-1 a-1 respectively, despite reducing fertiliser N application to LP-TR and MSS by 55% compared to LP. The average proportional contribution of grass species to MSS' herbage DM remained constant, the clover content of MSS increased, while the herb content decreased from 2020 to 2021. Seasonally, the proportional contribution of L. perenne and P. lanceolata to MSS' herbage DM declined as the grazing season progressed, the contribution of T. repens and T. pratense increased and that of P. pratense and C. intybus remained similar. In LP-TR, T. repens ' proportional contribution to herbage DM increased from 2020 to 2021, while L. perenne 's proportional contribution declined. Seasonally, the proportional contribution of L. perenne to the herbage DM of LP-TR declined as the grazing season progressed, while the proportion of T. repens ' increased. The contribution of dead plant material to herbage DM increased across all swards in the second year but did not differ between sward types. Sward type did not affect the proportional contribution of unsown species by functional group to herbage DM. These results demonstrate that under a relatively-intensive beef grazing system, MSS receiving reduced N compared to LP monocultures, and the same N compared to LP-TR swards, produce more herbage DM, and do not have a greater weed (unsown species) burden. Overall, our findings demonstrate the potential of MSS to 'produce more while using less', a key requirement of sustainable grazing systems. • The performance of a six species multispecies sward (MSS) was tested for two years. • The performance of MSS was compared to that of a perennial ryegrass monoculture (LP) and LP-white clover mixture (LP-TR). • MSS demonstrate potential for higher DM production from lower N inputs compared with LP. • MSS swards did not show signs of increased unsown species to LP despite a lack of herbicide application. • Legumes persist well, however herbs do not under an intensive, rotationally grazed dairy calf to beef system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multispecies had a higher dry matter degradability than grass/grass-clover forages. • Rumen pH was below 6.0 for longer when cows consumed multispecies. • Perennial ryegrass-white clover resulted in higher rumen ammonia throughout the day. • Multispecies can support milk production but may result in lower milk fat. An experiment was conducted to compare the rumen fermentation and degradability of three forage treatments. A perennial ryegrass (PRG; Lolium perenne), perennial ryegrass and white clover (Trifolium pratense) (PRGWC) and multispecies forage (MULTI), containing two grass species; perennial ryegrass and timothy (Phleum pratense); two clover species; white clover and red clover (Trifolium repens); and two herb species; chicory (Cichorium intybus) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata), were compared. Six rumen fistulated lactating dairy cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment consisting of 3 periods lasting 21-days. Cows were allowed ad libitum access to fresh forage and offered 2.71 kg DM concentrate each day. During days 1 – 14 of each period, cows were acclimatized to dietary treatments before entering a 7 – day sampling period. Indwelling rumen pH probes were inserted into the rumen of each cow on day 15 and 16. Rumen fluid samples were taken on day 18 every 2 h for rumen volatile fatty acid and ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 N) analysis. Forage dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) degradability was assessed via in sacco incubation beginning on day 19 of each period. Treatment had no effect on dry matter intake (DMI) or milk yield. There was no difference in mean rumen pH between treatments. The rumen pH of cows offered MULTI was below pH 6.0 for a higher percentage of time than the other treatments, however the concentration of acetic acid in the rumen of cows was similar between treatments. Effective degradability (ED) of DM was higher (P = 0.003) for MULTI (0.77) compared to PRG (0.68) and PRGWC (0.66). The soluble CP fraction of MULTI and PRGWC was significantly lower than that of PRG (P = 0.007), though PRGWC had the highest rumen ammonia concentration of all treatments (P = 0.002). MULTI had the highest ED and rate of DM degradation in the rumen, and lowest soluble CP of all treatments. Multispecies forages can support milk production in lactating dairy cows; however, care must be taken to ensure adequate dietary NDF due to the low fiber concentration and highly degradable nature of the forage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a three year period the performance of lambs being finished on three sward treatments were compared. The three treatments included (i) ‘Grass-clover mixture’; perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) and white clover ( Trifolium repens ) (ii) ‘Plantain-clover mixture’; plantain ( Plantago lanceolata ), white clover and red clover ( Trifolium pratense ) (iii) ‘Chicory-plantain-clover mixture’; plantain, chicory ( Cichorium intybus L.), white- and red-clover. Each year was divided into five grazing periods namely; winter, early spring, late-spring, summer and autumn with only the Grass-clover mixture being utilised in the winter due to the growth profile and management requirements of the herb species. Over the three year period, a total of 3353 kg live weight per ha was produced on the Grass-clover mixture, which was less (P < 0.05) than the 3838 kg/ha produced with the Plantain-clover mixture or 3768 kg/ha on the Chicory-plantain-clover mixture. Similarly over the three year period, 1270 kg of carcass weight gain per ha was produced on the Grass-clover mixture, which was less (P < 0.05) than the 1706 kg/ha produced with the Plantain-clover mixture or 1732 kg/ha with the Chicory-plantain-clover. This indicates that farmers aimed at lamb finishing can have some confidence that when utilising these herb-clovers mixtures they can increase lamb and meat productivity for at least three years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of 18 × 0.5 ha paddocks at the DairyNZ research farm in Hamilton made up from three replicates of six sward mixes had pasture collected weekly from 31 January 2012 to 9 May 2012 and spore counts ofPithomyces chartarumwere determined. Low diversity (LD) meant that the paddock was sown with a single grass species (tall fescue, high sugar cultivar, ryegrass) and white clover. High diversity (HD) meant that the paddock was sown with a single grass species and white clover plus prairie grass, chicory, plantain and lucerne. The study aims were to assess the benefit of diversity and sward type in the control of facial eczema. There was no difference in spore counts over time between high diversity and low diversity pastures (P = 0.43). Both tall fescue paddocks (LD and HD) showed a lower spore count over time in comparison with low diversity ryegrass (P = 0.055 and 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For pastures, root turnover can have an important influence on nutrient and carbon cycling, and plant performance. Turnover was calculated from mini-rhizotron observations for chicory ( Cichorium intybus), lucerne ( Medicago sativa), perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne) and white clover ( Trifolium repens) grown in the Manawatu, New Zealand. The species were combined factorially with four earthworm species treatments and a no-earthworm control. Split plots compared the effects of not cutting and cutting the shoots at intervals. Observations were made c. 18 days apart for 2.5 years. This article concentrates on differences between plant species in root turnover in the whole soil profile to 40 cm depth. At this scale, earthworm effects were generally small and short lived. For ryegrass and white clover, root length and mass were linearly related ( R2 = 0.82-0.99). For chicory and lucerne, the relationships were poorer ( R2 = 0.38-0.77), so for those species length turnover may be a poor indicator of mass turnover. Standing root length, total growth and death generally decreased in the sequence ryegrass > lucerne > chicory = white clover. In length terms, scaled turnover (growth divided by average standing root length) generally followed the sequence lucerne > white clover > perennial ryegrass = chicory. Across species the scaled turnover rate averaged 3.4 per year or 0.9% per day. Cutting shoots reduced standing root length, growth and death, but increased scaled turnover. These results indicate fast and prolonged root turnover. For ryegrass and white clover, at least there is need to reappraise how to measure and model shoot : root ratios, dry matter production and carbon cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the N release pattern during decomposition of plant materials used as green manures can be modified in the short term through mixing plant materials with different levels of easily degradable compounds. In a lysimeter study, white clover shoots were mixed with perennial ryegrass shoots or chicory roots. Leaching of clover N was decreased more by inclusion of chicory than by ryegrass. However, decreased leaching losses over the non-growing season did not lead to enhanced N uptake by the crop during the following growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temporal stability of forage provision was assessed in white clover mixtures. • Mixture partner effects on yield and quality stability were site-dependent. • Stability benefited from adding chicory to mixtures in years with low precipitation. • Clover populations affected stability independently of the mixture partner. Clover-based crop stands are gaining importance in temporary grasslands for intensive livestock production. However, knowledge of their optimal composition to achieve high temporal stability of forage provision is insufficient, particularly so for long cultivation periods. A five-year field trial was conducted to study the effect of adding a non-leguminous forb to clover-based crop stands and to evaluate the impact of the clover variety on inter- and intra-annual stability of forage yield and quality. At two contrasting sites, we cultivated eight white clover (Trifolium repens) populations in pure stands and in mixtures with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and/or chicory (Cichorium intybus) under a four-cut system without fertilization and determined the seasonal and annual forage yield and quality. Temporal stability of forage provision differed between crop stand types, with marked differences between years and cropping sites. In the study years with lower than long-term precipitation, adding chicory enhanced temporal stability of forage yield as compared to white clover pure stands or clover-grass mixtures at least at the site with deep soil, and maintained or enhanced that of forage quality as compared to clover-grass mixtures. This was often reversed in the study years with higher than long-term precipitation. The white clover populations only slightly varied in temporal stability of forage provision, and did so independently of the crop stand type. Our findings highlight the potential but also constraints of including a non-leguminous forb in unfertilized mown clover-based crop stands, as well as of decisions on the clover variety, to improve temporal stability of forage provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Changes in agriculture towards simpler and more intensive systems have contributed to increased environmental problems. In temperate sown grasslands, this has resulted in ryegrass dominance, and forage legume use is limited mainly to three species: red clover, white clover and lucerne. Other dicot forages, such as Lotus pedunculatus and Sanguisorba minor, are of interest as they contain plant specialized metabolites (PSM), especially tannins, potentially reducing methane from ruminants, an important source of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. In an in vitro study, we compared binary mixtures of perennial ryegrass with one of eight dicot species, including PSM-rich species in different proportions, to assess their potential to reduce methane production. An additional aim was to determine whether moderate additions of these forage species can be sufficient to reduce methane formation or whether the relationship is linearly dose-dependent. Results show that all dicot species studied, including the non-tannin-containing species, reduced methane production. While all plant species rich in PSM reduced methane production, they also decreased digestibility. Additionally, they did not persist in the pasture into the second year. The lowest methane emissions per digestible forage unit were obtained with chicory (Cichorium intybus), a promising forage herb with both agronomic and bioactive potential. Methane emissions from ruminants are a major contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, eight different forage species were combined in binary mixtures with Lolium perenne in increasing proportions, in vitro, to determine their methane reduction potential in ruminants. Species were sampled in two consecutive years where possible. The aims were: a) to determine if mixtures with specific forages, particularly those rich in plant specialized metabolites (PSM), can reduce methane emissions compared to ryegrass monocultures, b) to identify whether there is a linear-dose effect relationship in methane emissions from the legume or herb addition, and c) whether these effects are maintained across sampling years. Results showed that all dicot species studied, including the non-tannin-containing species, reduced methane production. The tannin-rich species, Sanguisorba minor and Lotus pedunculatus, showed the greatest methane reduction potential of up to 33%. Due to concomitant reductions in the forage digestibility, Cichorium intybus yielded the lowest methane emissions per digestible forage unit. Contrary to total gas production, methane production was less predictable, with a tendency for the lowest methane production being obtained with a 67.5% share of the legume or herb partner species. Thus, linear increments in the partner species share did not result in linear changes in methane concentration. The methane reduction potential differed across sampling years, but the species ranking in methane concentration was stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Diverse pastures based on combinations of the forage herb species plantain and chicory with red clover and white clover, provide superior annual feeding value to finish lambs in temperate regions, compared to the traditionally used perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures. The success of herb-clover diverse pastures is dependent on maintaining the relative abundance of each species in the mix over time. The selective grazing by lambs on herb-clover mixes was compared with their selection on perennial ryegrass and white clover pasture, by using randomly tagged individual plants, to determine if selective grazing changed the relative abundance of any of the herb or clover species. Variations in the selection of the forage species over the seasons of the year were observed, but best practice grazing management was shown to maintain the relative abundance of species in herb-clover pastures required for superior lamb live weight gains. Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) are now widely used in combination with clover species to provide greater annual lamb live weight gains than perennial ryegrass and white clover pasture. Reported selective grazing of the species in herb-clover mixes could potentially detrimentally change the relative abundance of species and decrease lamb production. Lambs were offered three herbage treatments: Pasture (perennial ryegrass and white clover) mix, plantain (plantain, red clover and white clover) mix and a chicory (chicory, plantain, red clover and white clover) mix in each of four seasons for two years. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replicates with 18–30 lambs per treatment replicate depending on the season. Lambs were rotationally grazed and fed ad libitum. Selection by the lambs of individually tagged plants within the pasture treatments was observed for three days on two occasions per season. Red clover was the most selected species on day 1, but by day 3 there was no difference in the selection of the species (p < 0.05). Plantain and chicory in the plantain and chicory mixes were selected less on day 1 in autumn relative to the other seasons (p < 0.05). It was concluded that three days of grazing before moving lambs maintained the relative abundance of species in the herb-clover mixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Similar yield ranking of white clover populations in monocultures and mixtures. • Relative performance of white clover population depended on site conditions. • The mixture benefit was higher at the fertile than at the more marginal site. • Including chicory into the mixtures increased the between-year yield stability. Due to complementary resource use of the components, grass-clover mixtures are usually higher yielding compared to unfertilized pure grass stands. The number and identity of species in a mixture are known as important factors for the mixture's productivity. How intraspecific variability of component species affects the productivity of mixtures has received less attention. We established an experiment to investigate how and to what extent different populations of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) affect mixture performance. Eight novel populations of white clover and one variety of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) were grown as monocultures and in two- and three-species mixtures at two sites differing in soil fertility. Aboveground herbage was cut twice in the establishing year and four times in each of the three following years. The accumulated dry matter yield was calculated as the sum of the four annual dry matter yields. There was no significant interaction between white clover population and crop stand (i.e., white clover monoculture or mixtures with partner species) on dry matter yield accumulated over four years; the white clover population that performed well in monoculture also did so in mixtures. At both sites, the binary mixtures of white clover and chicory produced significantly higher dry matter yields than the white clover monocultures and other mixtures. Inclusion of chicory in mixtures significantly increased the stability of yield production as well. Site conditions strongly affected the performance of the forage species mixtures. We found that the benefit of mixtures over monocultures was more related to the identity of species in mixture than to the white clover population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Enhancing the concentration of individual fatty acids (FA) in milk has been, for a long time, a major aim for researchers because certain FAs are linked with several health benefits in humans as well as improving the processing quality of milk products. It is well documented that diet, management regime, and extent of biohydrogenation in the rumen are critical in determining the composition of FA in the milk of dairy cows. This study investigated the effects of including chicory into the traditional feeding regime of ryegrass/white clover, and time of its allocation on milk production, rumen fermentation, and FA composition of milk and rumen digesta of dairy cows. Our findings show that allocation of mature chicory herbage to dairy cows at 50% of their ration modified rumen fermentation and improved both milk yield and the FA profile of the milk. Allocating chicory herbage during the afternoon is a useful strategy that can translate to improved milk production and quality. These findings reflect not just the feasibility of including chicory as part of a feeding regime, but also the role of chicory in rumen fermentation and biohydrogenation. The goals of the current study were to investigate the effects of including chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) into the traditional feeding regime of ryegrass/white clover (Lolium perenne L./Trifolium repens L.), and time of its allocation on milk production, rumen fermentation, and FA composition of milk and rumen digesta of dairy cows. Nine groups of four cows were allocated one of three replicated feeding regimes: (1) ryegrass/white clover only (RGWC), (2) ryegrass/white clover + morning allocation of chicory (CHAM), and (3) ryegrass/white clover + afternoon allocation of chicory (CHPM). One cow per group had a rumen cannulae fitted. Treatment did not affect total grazing time or estimated dry matter intake, but cows ruminated more when fed RGWC than chicory. Allocating chicory in the afternoon elevated milk production compared with RGWC and CHAM. Milk from cows grazing chicory contained greater concentrations of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) such as C18:3 c9, 12, 15 and C18:2 c9, 12 than those on RGWC. As with milk, rumen digesta concentration of PUFA increased when cows grazed on chicory rather than RGWC, which corresponded with lower concentrations of intermediate vaccenic and biohydrogenation end-product stearic acid for cows grazing on chicory. Mean ruminal pH was lower for cows offered chicory than those on RGWC, reflecting greater rumen concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) for cows fed chicory. Allocating chicory during the afternoon is a useful strategy that can translate to improved milk production. The lower rumen pH, lower concentration of vaccenic and stearic acids, and elevated concentration of PUFA in the rumen of cows fed chicory suggest reduced biohydrogenation and may explain the elevated concentration of PUFA in the milk of cows fed chicory compared with those fed RGWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]