Contents (various authors):
- Water Requirements vs Water Supplied
- End of Season Irrigation
- Weather and Climate Outlook
- Digger-Shaker-Inverter Setup
- Late Season Disease Control
Excerpts from articles:
Water Requirement vs Water Supplied (a different perspective)
R. Scott Tubbs & Wesley M. Porter, UGA
Oh, the difference a few days can make! It is important to assess how the rainfall distribution is occurring in smaller increments rather than larger chunks when trying to meet the crop’s overall needs and supplementing with irrigation. It is very important to note, crop water requirements are about timing and distribution of water, not just total amount.
Precipitation accumulation at Midville, GA in 2022. Monthly averages represented in three
different ways:
Monthly Rainfall (season total = 16.69 inches)
| May 1-31 | June 1-30 | July 1-31 | Aug 1-26 |
| 3.27 | 2.74 | 5.60 | 5.08 |
Shifting 3 days earlier (season total = 16.69 inches)
| Apr 28-May 28 | May 29-June 27 | June 28-July 28 | July 29-Aug 26 |
| 3.16 | 2.04 | 5.02 | 6.47 |
Shifting 1 day later (season total = 16.69 inches)
| May 2-June 1 | June 2-July 1 | July 2-Aug 1 | Aug 2-Aug 26 |
| 3.27 | 4.02 | 4.32 | 5.08 |
End of Season Irrigation for Peanuts
David Hall, Jason Mallard, and Wesley Porter, UGA
Please refer to Figure below for irrigation requirements, and when to start thinking about terminating
irrigation.
Weather and Climate Outlook for September 2022 and Beyond
Pam Knox, UGA
After a very quiet July and August (the quietest since 1941!), we are seeing some life in the tropics as we enter the peak of the Atlantic tropical season. The storms that are expected to form early in September are all predicted to turn north before they get close to the East Coast so won’t provide much impact to us. However, there is still more than half the season to go, and some years, like 1961, had quite a few storms in the second half compared to the first half, so don’t write off the season just yet.
Peanut Digger-Shaker-Inverter Setup and Operational Considerations
Simer Virk and Scott Monfort
Below are few considerations to keep in mind when digging peanuts to prevent any mechanically induced yield losses due to improper digger setup and/or operation:
- Make sure that tire pressure in the tractor tires as well as the rear gauge wheels on the
digger is adequate and same in both tires. - Adjust the digging angle (and therefore depth) by adjusting the length of the top link on the digger. Digger blades should be set at a slight forward pitch and at the depth where they cut the tap root just below the pod zone
- Digging speed should be optimized based on the prevalent in-field conditions at harvest. Generally, the optimal ground speed for digging peanuts is between 2.5 and 3.5 mph.
- Set the rattler conveyor speed to match or just slightly above the forward travel speed of the tractor while digging peanuts.
Points to Consider for Late-Season Disease Control in Peanuts
Bob Kemerait, UGA
Below are some typical situations that peanut growers may find themselves in and
suggestions for control:
4 or more weeks away from harvest with excellent disease control:
At least one more fungicide for leaf spot control with an inexpensive white mold (if mold is an issue) material mixed with it. It is generally helpful to use a mix of a protectant leaf spot fungicide (like chlorothalonil) mixed a leaf spot fungicide with some curative activity (e.g., Alto, Domark, Topsin).
Given the low cost of tebuconazole, you may consider applying a tank-mix of tebuconazole + chlorothalonil for added insurance of white mold and leaf spot.
Leaf-spot-free Georgia-06G or Georgia-12Y might not need additional
fungicide applications if willing to watch/scout the field for other disease, for example peanut rust, and put a fungicide out if harvest is unexpectedly delayed, as with the approach of a hurricane/storm.
4 or more weeks away from harvest with disease problems:
Systemic/curative activity necessary – for chlorothalonil, mix with a product like thiophanate methyl (Topsin M) or cyproconazole (Alto). You may consider applying Priaxor, if its not already been applied
twice earlier in the season. Provost Silver from Bayer Crop Science has become a “go to” product for helping to protect peanuts from leaf spot diseases late in the season. Provost Silver is NOT a “silver bullet” but it has performed very well. A tank-mix of Provysol + tebuconazole may also be appropriate.
If the problem is white mold and you’ve completed your regular white mold program,
you can extend it perhaps with a Fontelis, Provost Silver, or tebuconazole/chlorothalonil mix.
If the problem is underground white mold, applying a white mold fungicide ahead of irrigation or rain, or applying at night, can help to increase management of this disease.
3 weeks or less from harvest with excellent disease control:
Should be good-to-go (outside of hurricane threat) for the remainder of the season and no
more fungicides are required.
3 weeks or less from harvest with disease problems:
If leaf spot is a problem and 2-3 weeks away from harvest, a last leaf spot fungicide
application may be beneficial. If leaf spot is too severe (more than 25% defoliation
already occurs), then a last application will not help. Tank mixing chlorothalonil with a systemic fungicide, like thiophanate methyl, Domark, or other appropriate systemic fungicide, could be beneficial.
If white mold is a problem and harvest is 3 weeks away, then it is likely beneficial to
apply a final white mold fungicide.
If harvest is 2 weeks or less away, then it is unlikely
that a fungicide will be of any benefit.
If harvest is likely to be delayed by threat from a hurricane or tropical
storm, then the grower may reconsider recommendations for end-of-season
fungicide applications.