- Current Situation:
- Corn:
- Summer annuals:
- Peanuts Planting Recommendations:
- What about this pegging zone sample you keep on talking about?
- Wheat irrigation:
- Pivot Uniformity
Current Situation: The drought monitor this week, which was released on April 7, shows that 100% of Georgia is experiencing some type of drought conditions. Ninety-four percent of the Colquitt County area is experiencing D4 drought conditions.
Corn:The local corn crop ranges from just planted to V6. Early season irrigation requirements are low for corn, according to the estimated water use of corn chart from the UGA Corn Production Guide. The table below shows the growth stage, days after planting and inches per day of water use for corn. The water used by corn is below 0.1 inches a day for the first three weeks.
Table 1. Estimated Water Use of Corn in Georgia for the first 36 days.
Another great irrigation scheduling tool that is free is the UGA Smart Irrigation Crop Fit App. The Smart Irrigation CropFit App, hereafter referred to as CropFit, is a smartphone application that provides real-time, crop-specific irrigation scheduling recommendations for corn, cotton, and soybean production in the southeastern U.S. Peanuts and sweet corn will be added to CropFit prior to the 2025 growing season.
In extensive testing, using CropFit to schedule irrigation has reduced crop water use by up to 40% and increased yields by up to 15% compared with traditional calendar‑based irrigation scheduling methods. CropFit is free and available on iOS and Android. Below is an example of a field for which I am using the app to schedule irrigation.
How does the app work? If you would like more information about this app please go to the following two links.
https://smartirrigationapps.org/cropfit-app/
Summer annuals:Due to the drought cattle producers are looking for ways to fill in gaps in forage programs. Below is the link to the UGA OVT data for summer annual forages.
Pearl millet can be grazed or harvested as hay or silage. This species has a distinct advantage over sorghum, sudangrass, and sorghum × sudangrass hybrids because pearl millet does not produce prussic acid. Forage sorghum is primarily used for silage production because of its high yield potential. Sorghum × sudan hybrids can be used for grazing or silage, but like other annual sorghums, they can be very difficult to dry to moistures suitable for hay. Sudangrass has finer stems, more tillers, and is leafier than forage sorghums. Their rate of regrowth after cutting or grazing is better than that of sorghums. For this reason, they are sometimes used for temporary rotational grazing. All summer annuals have the potential to accumulate high nitrates.
Below is information about summer annuals.
https://site.extension.uga.edu/colquittag/2023/04/growing-summer-annual-forages/
https://site.extension.uga.edu/colquittag/2014/04/summer-annual-forages/
https://site.extension.uga.edu/colquittag/2014/04/summer-annual-forages/
Peanuts Planting Recommendations:Dr. Monfort provided several comments on planting recommendations based on the month in which you plant. If you are thinking about planting in April, then consider GA-12Y, Arnie, or TUFRunner 725. Peanut growers need to consider using Thimet to help manage TSWV.
What about this pegging zone sample you keep on talking about?Peanuts have a high calcium requirement. Calcium must be available to the developing peg and pod in a water soluble form in the pegging zone area. If you need to apply calcium (in the form of gypsum, landplaster) it needs to be applied at early flowering. Pull the sample slightly offset of the peanut row about 3 inches deep. Pegging zone samples need to show 500 pounds of soil test calcium. If you are at the 500 mark or better and you have a 3 to 1 calcium to potassium ratio then calcium requirements should be met. If you do not meet EITHER of these requirements then you need to apply 1000 lb/a gypsum at early bloom. Also, all peanuts grown for seed should automatically receive this gypsum application, regardless of soil test calcium levels. Soil sample bags are available at the Extension Office if you would like to do pegging zone tests.
Wheat irrigation: The wheat crop is rapidly progressing and the question about irrigation termination keeps coming up. Previous guidance indicates to terminate irrigation when the crop reaches the hard dough stage and if moisture is present.
Pivot Uniformity: Phillip Edwards and the UGA Water Team were in Colquitt County the other day conducting pivot uniformity tests. With the rising cost of irrigation, it is increasingly important that irrigation systems apply water uniformly in order to achieve maximum benefit from the water used.
Below is an example of irrigation pivot uniformity results conducted in Colquitt County.
If you are interested in have a pivot evaluated for uniformity, please contact me and we can have the UGA Water Team make a visit in the near future.
If you have any questions about pivot uniformity test more information is in the links below.
https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/C911/evaluating-and-interpreting-application-uniformity-of-center-pivot-irrigation-systems/https://precisionagirrigation.extension.uga.edu/2025/05/are-you-sure-your-pivot-is-operating-at-peak-efficiency/
If you have any questions please contact your local county Extension agent.
Have a great week,
Jeremy M. Kichler
Colquitt County Extension Coordinator
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension does not endorse or guarantee the performance any products mentioned in this update.