High-value wildlife tubers
Underground tubers provide concentrated fall and winter food for turkey and are also used by deer, ducks and other wildlife.
Chufa (Tiger Nut)
Cyperus esculentusA warm-season tuber-producing sedge for dedicated wildlife food plots and specialty tiger-nut production—not a nitrogen-fixing cover crop or livestock forage.
Technical variety profile
Chufa produces underground nut-like tubers valued by wild turkey, deer and waterfowl and performs best in sunny, prepared plots with moist, workable soil.
Planting materialTubers
Row rate20–25 lb/ac
Broadcast rate30–40 lb/ac
Planting depth0.5–1 in / 1–2.5 cm
Soil pH5.0–7.5
Plot rotationRefresh after 2–3 years
Best fit
Where Chufa (Tiger Nut) belongs
Wildlife food plots for turkey, deer and ducksDedicated warm-season habitat acreageMoist sandy, loamy or silty clay soilsSpecialty edible tiger-nut production for vegetable and beverage markets where locally permittedSeasonally wet sites where spread can be contained
#wildlife#food-plots#tubers#wet-soils#specialty-crop
Why it performs
Three reasons to shortlist it
Moist-site adaptation
Chufa grows across sandy to silty clay soils and tolerates short-duration flooding when plants are not submerged.
Specialty food crop
Cultivated tiger-nut types produce edible tubers for fresh, dried, milled and beverage markets under appropriate food-crop standards.
Technical data
Comparable specifications
Planting materialTubersTechnical reference
Row rate20–25 lb/acTechnical reference
Broadcast rate30–40 lb/acTechnical reference
Planting depth0.5–1 in / 1–2.5 cmTechnical reference
Soil pH5.0–7.5Technical reference
Plot rotationRefresh after 2–3 yearsTechnical reference
Growth habitRhizomatous perennial sedgeTechnical reference
LightFull sunTechnical reference
SoilMoist sandy, loamy or silty clay soilsTechnical reference
Flooding toleranceShort-duration floodingTechnical reference
Frost responseTop growth is frost-sensitiveTechnical reference
Primary useWildlife food plotTechnical reference
Secondary useEdible specialty tuberTechnical reference
Companion fitBest alone; Japanese millet in waterfowl plotsTechnical reference
Primary product documents
Download the technical sheet
Choose the language for a concise guide to key benefits, establishment, management, specifications and limitations.
View guides and supporting researchEstablishment
Build the stand correctly
- 01Plant tubers after frost risk in late spring or early summer when soil is warming.
- 02Use a well-prepared, firm seedbed in full sun and correct lime and fertility from a soil test.
- 03Plant 20–25 lb/ac in rows or broadcast 30–40 lb/ac, covering tubers by 0.5–1 inch.
- 04Choose a dedicated plot where persistent tubers and future volunteers can be contained.
Management
Turn potential into performance
- Control weeds early because chufa competes poorly with grasses and many broadleaf weeds.
- Protect establishing plots from cattle, hogs and other animals that can graze, compact or dig plants prematurely.
- Expose a few mature tubers if target wildlife does not initially recognize the plot.
- Rotate or refresh plots after two to three years as weed and insect pressure rises.
Limitations & safety
Know where it does not fit
- Cyperus esculentus is also yellow nutsedge and can become a persistent agricultural weed outside a contained production area.
- Check local noxious-weed, planting and crop-marketing rules before sale or establishment.
- Chufa is susceptible to many herbicides and should not be positioned as livestock forage.
- Waterfowl food-plot manipulation can be regulated; confirm current wildlife and baiting rules before disturbing a planted stand.
Technical resourcesTechnical guide · Current edition View the complete Research Library
Guides and supporting research
Supplemental Food Plots: Growing Chufa for Wild Turkeys
Auburn University · Alabama A&M University
Open publicationField fit matters
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