Effect of different water and fertilizer treatments on the yield and quality of Cichorium intybus

To investigate the most appropriate water and fertilizer management system for Cichorium intybus, an orthogonal design was used to undertake a three level experiment with four factors: soil moisture content (20%, 30%, and 40%), nitrogenous fertilizer (300, 500, and 700 kg·ha-1), phosphate fertilizer (300, 450, and 600 kg·ha-1), and potash fertilizer (100, 150, and 200 kg·ha-1) to study the influence of different water and fertilizer treatments on the yield and quality of C. intybus. The results showed that fresh grass yields of C. intybus were significantly (P<0.05) increased in the different water and fertilizer treatments and the annual yield ranged from 7.93×104 kg·ha-1 to 1.997×105 kg·ha-1, reaching its maximum (1.997×105 kg·ha-1) in the combined application of 40% soil moisture content, 500 kg·ha-1 nitrogenous fertilizer, 300 kg·ha-1 phosphate fertilizer, and 200 kg·ha-1 potash fertilizer, which increased yield by 60% to 300% compared to that of the control (4.97×104 kg·ha-1). In terms of quality of C. intybus, crude protein content significantly increased in all the different water and fertilizer treatments, and reached a maximum of 294.1 g·kg-1 in the treatment of 30% soil moisture content, 500 kg·ha-1 nitrogenous fertilizer, 600 kg·ha-1 phosphate fertilizer, and 100 kg·ha-1 potash fertilizer, which increased the crude protein content more than twice that of the control treatment. The above water and fertilizer conditions provide production guidance for high yield and high protein C. intybus forage cultivation in Guizhou and provide forage source and guarantee the rapid development of animal husbandry in Guizhou Province.