For Burke County,
Right now, our peanut fungicide programs are imperative that we keep the intervals tight and are using the correct fungicides. With white mold and leaf spot hits showing their heads, we cannot afford to miss a fungicide application. As growers are walking their fields, they should be looking for plants that are “crashing” or turning brown and falling over. When they find one, look down at the base of the crown and look for white mold on the plant right at the ground. If there are many instances of this, it may be time to call your county agent to talk about your fungicide program. They may suggest stepping up to a stronger fungicide. Did you know that damage to the peanut plant increases your risk of white mold? The most common damage I am thinking of is deer damage. When the deer paw the ground around the plant and damage the plant itself, the risk of white mold increases significantly.
Another disease related concern is Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV). TSWV can cause mottled leaves, stunting of the plant, and peanuts infected early, will likely die and produce no yield. TSWV is caused by thrips feeding on the peanut in the ground. The only way to cure TSWV is to stop it before it happens. So, what are the options? Well yes, Imidacloprid will kill thrips, but the thrip has to feed on the peanut first to prevent TSWV. This means that you will still have TSWV if you use Imidacloprid. Thimet in-furrow is the only option to preventing TSWV. Dr. Abney said that “for every 1% hit of TSWV in GA-06G causes a loss of yield of 20 lbs. per acre.”
Many peanut fields were planted either the second, third, or fourth week of May here in Burke County. With most of our growers producing 06G peanuts, which have an average maturity of 135-145 days. That puts most of these fields maturing around late September to early October. Now we always want to check the maturity multiple times and not just start digging whenever. There are many factors that can affect maturity such as soil moisture, temperature, insect and disease pressure, soil types… just to name a few.
As always, reach out to your Ag Agent with any questions- for Burke County you can call Cliff or Peyton at 706-554-2119