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July Peanut Pointers
By Scott Monfort (smonfort@uga.edu)
The early peanut crop (May 1st) is nearing the 100-day mark. To date, growers in Tifton have
received over 44 inches of rain for the year and 24 inches since April 1st. Average temperatures
since April 1st have been 1-2 degrees cooler compared to the last 4-5 years in Tifton (see tables
below). In looking at several other locations throughout the state, there are some counties that
have received less rain than Tifton but overall this growing season has been wet. The cooler
temperatures have caused the crop to be a little behind in accumulated heat units compared to
the last few years. In Tifton, we have accumulated just over 1900 heat units (May 1 planted).
This is something we need to pay attention to as we start to evaluate peanut maturity.

Peanut maturity may be off some this year due to the weather (temps and rain) and the fact we
likely have several fields setback because of valor injury on top of gramoxone injury. Once we
get with 115-120 DAP, growers should start spot checking their fields to determine where they
are at in regards to maturity. They may find the May planted to be similar to the April planted.

Questions Received in the last few weeks:

  1. What is the latest date to use the growth Regulator on peanuts? To achieve the growth
    control and potential yield increase with the growth regulator, the 1st application would
    need to be applied by 75 DAY after planting (2nd application in 14 days). After 75 DAP, I
    would expect the yield response to decline.
  2. If you have a grower that is 75-85 DAP, can they still manage vine growth with the
    growth regulator? Yes, a grower can still manage vine growth at this time but they need
    to know they may not see an increase in yield. I would also recommend growers to only
    apply 1 application instead of two due to the cost of the materials and the DAP of the
    crop
  3. When is the latest date to apply Gypsum? 75-80 days (Glen Harris). Please remember to
    tell the growers the Foliar Calcium Products Do Not Work.
    Rain Received from January to August (Tifton)
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