QDMA Articles :
Chicory: A Powerful Perennial
By: Rans Thomas
A few planting seasons ago, I was
visiting with a client in the Southeast. As I glanced over his
bookshelf, I noticed among hunting and outdoor books one title
in particular – “Perennials.” I thought to myself,
“Now, this guy has got it together. He is already reading
about perennials for food plots.” Then I noticed the book’s
full title: “Perennials – a Southern Celebration of
Foods and Flowers.” It was misplaced from his wife’s
cookbook collection. Oh well, maybe I would spot a new recipe.
As I flipped through the book, I saw among the flowers and plants
one of my favorite forage plot species – chicory. Maybe this
book wasn’t so misplaced after all.
I have been planting chicory in food
plots for years now and, time and again, have witnessed this plant’s
attractiveness for whitetails. Only recently have I come to fully
appreciate this hardy, nutrient-rich herb for the powerful food
plot perennial it is. I have found myself including it in almost
every… no, every perennial food plot I plant or prescribe.
Plant Description
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is in the family Asteracea, the aster
or sunflower family. It is also commonly known as “blue sailor,”
“succory” and, ironically, by the same name as an arch
enemy to all Southeastern plot hounds – “coffeeweed.”
Coffeeweed is also the common name for sicklepod, a highly invasive
summer annual weed that is extremely hard to combat. There are
four to six wild species of chicory, one of which can be found
in the Midwestern United States, and two major, improved cultivars
that are currently being imported and made available in the United
States for forage production – Forage Feast and Puna chicory.
More about these and other varieties later in this article.
Chicory foliage looks similar to plantain
and dandelion. Some leaves will have smooth edges and look like
a tongue while others can be deeply serrated. This is a variation
found in almost every variety, and leaf shape may change with
plant maturity. Smooth-edged leaves are much more common. The
flower is often light blue but can be pink or white, each with
a serrated lip or edge. After the plant’s first winter, a
flowering stem will “bolt” in the spring to midsummer
and can reach 6 feet in height. The seeds are very small at just
under 1/8 of an inch long and shaped like an elongated triangle.
Chicory’s tap root can grow very
long and is similar in outward appearance to a carrot at full
maturity. It has been found that the root can actually penetrate
moderate hardpans, a compacted layer of soil about a foot below
the surface that can stop most root growth. However, if you have
hardpan problems, it is best to fragment this layer by sub-soiling
with the right equipment, such as a moldboard plow, before planting
(for more information, see “Deep Impact” by Brian Sheppard
in the March 2004 issue of Quality Whitetails).
The length and diameter of chicory’s
root gives the plant one of its many desirable traits – the
ability to take hold in sandy soil and reach deep moisture during
periods of drought.
Chicory’s origins can be traced
to the Mediterranean Sea, more specifically France and Italy.
It’s also believed to have originated in eastern India as
it was referenced in writings of the ancient Greeks. Although
it contains no caffeine, chicory’s French origins place it
in south Louisiana where it is used as a coffee substitute to
this day. It was introduced in the United States in the late 1700s
and was commonly used as a coffee substitute in the field by Civil
War infantrymen. During World War II, coffee came into short supply,
and chicory was once again widely used as a substitute. I’ve
also read of its use in the Appalachian Mountains as a coffee
substitute and a treatment for digestive disorders because of
its ability to increase bile production. Chicory has been used
commercially in different countries for 300 years but not until
it found its way to New Zealand was it developed and improved
for use as fodder, forage and more recently for deer food plots.
Leave it to a bunch of deer managers
to bring a plant originating in Europe and India, written about
by the Greeks, and used as coffee, herbal medicines and salad
to the world of deer food plots!
Nutritional Qualities
Recently chicory has been found to have some interesting and even
mysterious attributes when consumed by small ruminants such as
sheep, goats and deer. Mark Thomas with Barenbrug USA told me
that it seems to reduce parasites in sheep that graze on chicory
in New Zealand.
“Sheep are wormy critters and
need to be treated with de-worming medications every month when
grazing in standard grass and legume pastures,” Mark said.
“However, when sheep graze on pastures where chicory is present,
we have found they only need worming once a year. This may be
due to the unique tannins that chicory contains, but we can’t
say for sure yet.”
Dr. Richard Watson, Extension Forage
Specialist with Mississippi State University, added to these comments.
“Chicory contains lactones and lactucin which are secondary
metabolite alkaloids, and in combination with chicory’s 5
percent tannin content makes chicory forage inhibiting toward
certain parasites, namely worms.”
“In addition to its overall high
nutritive value, chicory also contains other secondary compounds
such as condensed tannins, that contribute to the feed value,”
said ruminant nutritionist Annette Buyserie, also with Barenbrug
USA.
Chicory is relatively high in condensed
tannins compared to most food plot plants on the market and may
actually improve protein utilization efficiency in ruminants.
This has been shown in sheep. When ruminants consume forage or
feed, the crude proteins are broken apart by microbes, or “rumen
bugs,” and rebuilt into microbial proteins. Microbial proteins
are an exceptional source of high-quality protein for ruminants.
However, the process of protein synthesis is dependent on many
factors and can often be highly inefficient, especially when the
animal’s diet does not contain adequate energy levels. Select
forages containing around 5 percent tannins have improved the
efficiency of protein utilization by binding some of the proteins
and protecting them from being broken down in the rumen.
The net effect can be an increase in the quantity of amino acids
absorbed by the ruminant to support maintenance and production.
However, condensed tannins are a very diverse group of chemicals,
and not all of them are fully understood. Some research also shows
that condensed tannins can cause protein to pass completely out
of the animal without being digested. It could be that levels
of condensed tannins higher than 5 percent result in such negative
effects, but more research is needed, particulary where improved
varieties of chicory are concerned.
The word tannin usually sends up red
flags for deer managers for another reason – high levels
of tannin compounds in vegetation, grains or mast can make them
unpalatable to deer. Again, research indicates that at or below
5 percent tannin content, plants like chicory still remain palatable
to deer.
I sometimes get reports of healthy
chicory stands that are not being browsed by deer at normal or
even above normal deer densities. This could be due to deer being
unfamiliar with the plant or due to low soil fertility or pH.
Certain varieties may also have tannin levels that touch or cross
the threshold of palatability. There is much to be learned about
the role of condensed tannins in whitetail nutrition, but there
are strong indications that planting forages like chicory that
have moderate levels of tannins could have positive impacts on
deer health.
Planting Chicory
Chicory seed is very small and should be planted no more than
½-inch deep at a rate of 3 to 4 lbs./acre alone or 1 to
2 lbs./acre in a blend. Chicory can be planted in the spring or
the fall, but I only recommend fall planting in the South. However,
spring plantings can be very effective in the central and northern
United States. Like most perennials, chicory is slow to establish.
Without optimum conditions, you may not see leaves emerge for
a few weeks, so a spring planting in the South can leave the crop
vulnerable to weeds, drought and browsing before it establishes.
Chicory can be broadcast and lightly covered or cultipacked. It
can also be drilled, but be very careful about planting depth.
The most effective method for drilling is to apply the chicory
through a small-seed box if the drill has one. If not, and you
are planting a blend of multiple seeds of different sizes, I have
had good luck broadcasting the chicory first mixed with fertilizer,
pelletized lime or even sand, and then drilling in the larger-seeded
species using the drill’s disturbance to lightly cover the
chicory seed. If planting a pure stand of chicory, use a fertilizer
analysis with 10 to 20 pounds of nitrogen per 100 pounds of fertilizer
(19-19-19) applied at a rate of 300 to 350 lbs./acre. If planting
with properly inoculated legumes, you can use a lower rate of
nitrogen and let the legumes (once firmly established) provide
the nitrogen for you. If you plant a stand of chicory without
a legume, top-dressing with ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate
(100 lbs./acre of 34-0-0) will be necessary in the spring, summer
and fall. Chicory is tolerant of lower pH levels, however, don’t
skimp on liming because of this tolerance. Chicory, like almost
all other food plot plants, performs best in soils with a pH of
6 to 7.
Chicory in Blends
Because of chicory’s need for nitrogen, I highly recommend
planting it with a companion legume. Chicory with perennial white
clover is a terrific mix for almost all temperate zones. For the
central and northern United States, chicory makes a great companion
for alfalfa. For planting in sandy soils, I have even blended
chicory with burgundy beans, a viny summer legume that does well
in sandy soil and can perennialize in the Deep South (refer to
Kent Kammermeyer’s Species Profile in the June 2006 issue
of Quality Whitetails). Yuchi arrowleaf clover is also a great
companion legume to chicory for sandy soils. Yuchi is not a perennial
but may last well into June and will reseed well with light disking
in late August.
For fall planting in the South, I
recommend a blend with clovers, cool-season annuals such as cereal
grains, and Austrian winter peas. While the chicory is taking
some time to establish its root system and emerge, the cool-season
annuals will be up in a few days, providing nutrition and attraction
and screening the slowly emerging perennials that first fall.
If you have established stands of
perennial clover, you can always improve them by incorporating
chicory into them with a no-till drill or by very lightly disturbing
the soil with a disk harrow and broadcasting. Be careful not to
do this during a drought or to disk too heavily, as you could
damage your clover stand beyond repair. Align the disk gangs on
your small disk harrow with the direction of travel so the disks
roll and slice through the clover stand, leaving light furrows,
then broadcast the chicory over the plot. Try to plant when rain
is in the forecast. With rain, enough seed will find the exposed
soil and furrows and take hold.
Maintenance
Whether planted in the spring or fall, chicory will not mature
and “bolt” until the spring after planting. It is at
this time that proper maintenance is critical. Depending on your
region, the spring flush of leaf growth may occur from early April
to early June. It is important to mow the stand before leaves
reach 6 to 8 inches in height and to maintain the stand at 4 to
6 inches. This will also work fine for all blends with clover
and alfalfa.
Spring mowing of a blend with burgundy
beans should not occur until the burgundy beans grow taller than
the 4- to 6-inch height due to its intolerance of mowing.
The next mowing should occur in the
fall unless the chicory bolts in the summer, at which time mowing
will be required. With the Puna variety this is uncommon. Mowing
will also help control summer broadleaf weeds and keep many of
them from seeding and compounding problems.
There is no post-emergent herbicide
labeled for spraying over chicory to control broadleaf weeds.
Chicory can be sprayed with almost all post-emergent grass-selective
herbicides. My favorite is Poast Plus, but Select, Advantage and
Aim work as well. Always read product labels and consult with
your local county Extension agent before spraying. An early spring
application may be beneficial if you planted heavy rates of cool-season
cereal grains the previous fall or if residual cool-season grasses
like annual ryegrass have established in the stand. These grasses
will begin to mature as spring advances and compete with the chicory
for nutrients and water. This is especially true if your plot
includes clovers.
Interesting Findings in the Field:
Cliff Grant, the lease manager for The Langdale Company in south
Georgia, was very successful growing chicory in the sandy soils
of his region. Recently, Cliff called to tell me that something
was digging up his chicory. After a close look, it became evident
to us that deer were digging down and eating the tops of the chicory
tap roots. I’m sure this incident was due to a limited number
of plots and high deer densities, and made possible by loose soils,
but the attraction stands to reason – chicory root has also
been found to contain 20 percent inulin, an alternative to sucrose.
Researchers are currently evaluating this chemical as a low-calorie
sweetener. Maybe they should evaluate what Cliff’s deer think
about the sweetness of these roots!
Chicory Varieties
There are only a few major companies active in research, development,
and production of chicory varieties and selections in New Zealand.
According to Dr. Richard Watson, AgResearch Limited is a New Zealand
company that is strictly involved with research and development
of chicory technology. Dr. Bill Rumball with AgResearch developed
Puna chicory, from which he then created the Choice and Oasis
varieties. These are now licensed with PGG Wrightson Seeds, a
leading breeder of New Zealand forage plants. Wrightson Seed owns
the U.S. license to Puna, Choice and Oasis chicory and sub-licenses
and provides the seed stock to Barenbrug USA and AMPAC Seed Company,
the leading chicory distribution companies in the United States.
Puna (Grasslands Puna) –
Puna was developed in New Zealand by AgResearch. It is currently
being grown as far north as Alberta Canada and as far south as
northern Mexico and central Florida, proving that it is more widely
adapted than most other varieties. It is resistant to bolting,
which leads to higher spring nutrient levels in the leaves. It
is also improved for resistance to grazing pressure, which can
be very important in small plots. It is also an excellent companion
to clover.
Forage Feast – A European
variety from France that is very common and widely used for wildlife
plots. It is very cold hardy and similar in most attributes to
Puna; however, because of its selectivity for the food industry,
it is lower in tannins than Puna and in some cases more palatable
to whitetails in test-plot studies. This variety, as well as Puna,
is found in most Tecomate Seed perennial blends.
Choice – Improved from
the Puna variety by Dr. Bill Rumball, Choice is bred for higher
winter (early spring) activity. Choice was bred for lower rates
of lactucin and lactone for the dairy industry, compounds believed
to taint the milk. This is a variety found in Pennington’s
Rackmaster blends.
Oasis – AMPAC’s licensed,
AgResearch-improved Puna variety. Bred for increased lactone rates
for the forage industry. It is believed that lactones give chicory
its anti-parasitic attributes, but in the dairy industry it is
frowned upon. Oasis is also bred for higher resistance to fungal
diseases like sclerotinia.
Puna II – Considered more
winter active than most other varieties, which leads to greater
persistence and longevity. This variety is in most Pennington
blends.
Grouse – A New Zealand
variety considered a better companion to brassicas; however, it
is also thought to have higher rates of bolting and higher crowns
susceptible to overbrowsing.
Six Point – This is actually
a variety produced here in the United States and is very similar
to Puna.
INIA Le Certa and La Ninia
- Although chicory is known as a perennial in the United States,
these are actually two varieties from Uruguay. They are used as
annuals for deer plots because they do not persist in climates
north of its native range. These varieties are very useful for
food plots where conditions are too hot and dry to grow perennials,
like south Texas or anywhere double-cropping of annuals is preferred.
Chico – A short-term cultivar
better suited as an annual with very low spring and summer production
levels. Forager is another variety that is very similar to Chico.
Other varieties that have appeared
recently include WINA-100, introduced by the Whitetail Institute,
and Plot Enhancer, offered by AMPAC Seed.
There are a few other chicory varieties
not listed here. Many varieties claim to be “genetically
improved” for deer, but whether each variety that claims
this has actually been significantly improved is up for debate.
According to Dr. Richard Watson, it has taken as much as a decade
of selection and breeding to develop even slightly improved varieties
of chicory.
As with any food plot product, be
a thorough researcher and scientist – if you are uncertain
about any variety, ask the company that sells it for as many details
as they are willing to share about their research, breeding and
testing programs. Ask other food plot growers what their experiences
have been with certain varieties – the Forum at www.QDMA.com
is a great place for this research. Finally, conduct your own
trials on your land and keep good records of production and use
by deer – you’ll find out for yourself which varieties
work best for you.
If you’ve never tried chicory,
add it to you food plot trials this year. This powerful perennial
will almost certainly be a winning addition to your deer management
program.
About the Author: Rans Thomas
is a wildlife biologist and the Consulting Services manager for
Tecomate Wildlife Systems. He received his associate’s degree
in wildlife and forest management from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural
College and his bachelor’s in wildlife management from The
University of Georgia.
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