Overcast conditions with rainfall, not enough to amount to much, are slowing down our peanut harvesting to begin this week. There are some days in the 10 Day forecast with decent chances of rain, I hope we get those rains and can utilize the soil moisture to dig some mature dryland peanuts. I am still conducting peanut maturity clinics, if you need a sample checked get in touch with me. A rumor towards the end of last week where that the jassids had made there way to the peanuts and were causing damage, this has not occured, and I hope it stays that way. See further in this email updates from several UGA specialists. If i can help in any way give me a call.
Topics in this Newsletter:
- Defoliation update – Week of 9/29 (Dr. Camp Hand, UGA Cotton Agronomist)
- Non-irrigated Peanut Harvest (Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist)
- Row Crop Disease Update (Dr. Bob Kemerait, UGA Plant Pathologist)
- Ext Precision Ag and Irrigation Blog Post (Dr. Wes Porter, UGA Precision Ag and Irrigation Specialist)
- Scout Now for Velvetbean Caterpillars (Dr. Mark Abney, UGA Peanut Entomologist)
- Latest seasonal outlook indicates warmer and drier than normal conditions are likely (Pam Knox, UGA Climatologist)
- All About The Pod Podcast (UGA Peanut Team)
- Talkin Cotton Podcast (UGA Cotton Team)
- Publication on OBBBA Agricultural Provisions
Defoliation update – Week of 9/29 (Dr. Camp Hand, UGA Cotton Agronomist)
Couple of different situations across the state, but towards the end of the week looks like we’ll all be in the same boat.
First thing is that I really like three good warm and sunny days after spraying for this stuff to really work and get good activity and uptake out of these products. With that being said, today may not be the best day to spray for a few reasons, but I understand that sometimes you got to do what you got to do.
Highs look pretty normal first part of the week but drop towards the end, with parts of the state getting into the 70s on Thursday and Friday. By the end of the week I would be utilizing higher rates of many products or switching to some stuff that may have better activity when it is cooler (i.e. Ginstar/Cutout/Adios).
Keep in mind rainfree periods – rainfall is still spotty but it isn’t fun when you get the opportunity to respray cotton.
Had a phone call from someone this morning about top bolls not opening after being sprayed 10 days ago – make sure to “double check” if a field is ready. If you count NACB, also slice into top bolls or count % open.
Talked with some folks last week about watering open cotton to get better defoliation, but they were two weeks off from defoliating. Not worth turning the pivot on as dry as we are, gonna lose that water in a couple of days and will have to do it again if that’s the plan. Better off waiting to see if we catch a rain and then adjusting as we get closer.
Rates:
First part of week – 4 oz/acre dropp, 10 oz Folex, 32- 42 oz Prep
End of week I would consider bumping folex up to 12 oz, certainly use highest rate of Prep. I like ginstar when it cools off, 6-8 oz should be plenty, but I would spike it with dropp/thidiazuron because of the regrowth potential of this crop. If we get a big rain statewide this stuff is going to go.
Non-irrigated Peanut Harvest (Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist)
I am receiving many calls regarding what to do with the non-irrigated crop. First, this is not going to be an easy recommendation either way. Below is what I suggest based on what I have seen and heard over the last two weeks.
I am more worried about the non-irrigated crop, which is 120 days old and older. This crop should have produced a decent crop, depending on where you are located. In looking at this crop, I would suggest the following:
- If they are ready — dig them
- If the crop is green (lively) all day or wilted in the heat of the day but rebounds during the night and morning, I would leave them if they need more time to fill out the pods. If you are seeing more than 5-10% coming loose in the hull, I would dig them.
- If the crop is permanently wilted, I would dig them before you lose the crop that is on the plant.
- All of the above suggestions are great if you can get a digger in the ground, but are not worth much if you cannot. At this point, you are waiting for the rain to come.
- When the rain does come, I would go after the fields with the best crop first.
- Growers need to make sure that they can dig them to be back in the fields within 3 days for harvest. The vines will disintegrate quickly, which may cause higher header losses.
- Make sure to suggest that growers set their combines to blow out as much of the foreign material and bad pods as possible.
- For the crop younger than 120 days, I am not sure what we have produced currently or what could be made if the weekly rains come back. All we can do is look at them and try to determine if there is a crop worth saving now or just let them go until a frost. Encourage your growers to talk with their insurance agents.
Row Crop Disease Update (Dr. Bob Kemerait, UGA Plant Pathologist)
This is Aspergillus flavus, one of the fungal species responsible for aflatoxin, sporulating on a peanut pod. Note that the fungal sporulation is associated with a lesion on the pod. This is to be expected as aflatoxin is most often associated with pods damaged by some means, often by insects. An important consideration for minimizing aflatoxin contamination in peanuts (and corn) is to minimize insect damage. Unfortunately conditions remain very favorable for aflatoxin this season, hot and dry, as the A flavus fungus flourishes under these conditions.
What can growers do minimize risk for aflatoxin and a peanut crop that goes “Seg 3” for high aflatoxin levels?
1. Absolutely harvest the dry-corners of irrigated fields separately from the irrigated parts.
2. Keep peanuts from irrigated fields separate from non-irrigated fields.
3. Recognize aflatoxin issues in storage are often greater for immature peanuts.
4. Protect pods from mechanical damage and insect damage.
5. It’s better if peanuts dug and on-top-of-the-ground do not receive rain as they dry.
6. Ensure peanuts are dried to appropriate % moisture as quickly as possible. (This does not mean rapid drying at high heat but rather that the drying process is not prolonged.)
Ext Precision Ag and Irrigation Blog Post (Dr. Wes Porter, UGA Precision Ag and Irrigation Specialist)
This weeks blog post was compiled with help from two of my MS students, Sarah Beth Thompson and Hannah Grubbs, and Nick Gladden (ABAC Precision Ag Tech). It is an important topic focusing on where we currently stand with our soil moisture conditions in cotton and peanut and finalizing the season. All I can say it’s tough, but hopefully this helps some. I do know that we have received some rainfall, but looking at weather stations around the state in most cases this was barely enough rain to settle the dust. I do not see much rainfall predicted after today either. So use this information as you see fit and call if you want to discuss how to help your farmers finish irrigation this season. Thanks for all that you do.
Here is the post: End of Season Irrigation Considerations | Extension Precision Ag and Irrigation
Scout Now for Velvetbean Caterpillars (Dr. Mark Abney, UGA Peanut Entomologist)
There is one thing I know to be true right now: nobody wants to spend another penny spraying anything on the 2025 peanut crop. Unfortunately, I have gotten several reports of heavy velvetbean caterpillar infestations in peanut fields in south-central Georgia over the last several days. One of them was in a field that was freshly dug.
The question comes up nearly every year: if peanuts are dug with caterpillars in the field, will the caterpillars feed on the pegs? Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen often? No. How likely is it to happen? I don’t know.
All of that said, I would not invert my peanuts with an above threshold population of half grown or bigger caterpillars in the field.
Even if the caterpillars are gone by digging, and even if it is too late for defoliation to cause direct yield loss, I don’t want to have to invert a field of stems…if you have ever tried it, you know why.
Please take a moment in the mornings before you get on the picker to check your fields that have not been dug to be sure that velvetbean caterpillars are not at threshold.
If you have questions about this or any other insect pest issue in peanut, please contact your local UGA county Extension agent.
Latest seasonal outlook indicates warmer and drier than normal conditions are likely (Pam Knox, UGA Climatologist)
The latest monthly and seasonal climate outlooks for the United States were released today. They show that for both October and the October through December period, warmer than normal conditions are likely across the region. They also show that drier than normal conditions are expected in a lot of the region for the last three months of the year with the exception of southeastern Florida, where wetter conditions are more likely. October precipitation is expected to be wetter than normal in the Florida peninsula and nearby areas, with equal chances of below, near, or above normal precipitation expected in the coming month due to the uncertainty with activity in the Atlantic tropics. Drought is expected to expand from Alabama into Georgia and the Florida Panhandle as well increase in Alabama and Tennessee.
All About The Pod Podcast (UGA Peanut Team)
EPISODE 30, Season 3
In this episode, Scott Monfort, Mark Abney, Scott Tubbs, Wes Porter, Albert Culbreath, Ashley Smith (Coffee County ANR Agent), and Kaelyn Morgan discussed the current crop conditions, pest problems, and an update on harvest. If you have any questions or would like to suggest topics for discussion on a future episode, contact your local UGA Extension agent.
Episode 31, Season 3
In this episode, Scott Monfort, Mark Abney, Wes Porter, Eric Prostko, Bob Kemerait, and Kaelyn Morgan discussed the impact of the recent rains on the peanut crop and harvest in some areas of Georgia. If you have any questions or would like to suggest topics for discussion on a future episode, contact your local UGA Extension agent
Talkin Cotton Podcast (UGA Cotton Team)
Below is a link to the most recent episode of the talkin’ cotton podcast. Distribute as you see fit. If y’all need anything else just holler. Y’all have a good weekend!
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2350262/episodes/17912308
Publication on OBBBA Agricultural Provisions
Please find attached a publication by Drs. Ford Ramsey and Gopinath Munisamy. The article reviews changes to the agriculture-related provisions in the OBBBA, including updates to commodity programs such as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), as well as crop insurance. It also discusses the economic impacts of these changes on Georgia producers.