The 2020 season has been a difficult one for the peanut farmers even before they put the first seed in
the ground. To a level I have not seen before, growers had to make early decisions about seed
treatments and in-furrow fungicides at the same time they were trying to get the quality seed that they
needed. Even after the fields were planted, many growers struggled with questions about replanting
when their stands were less than they had hoped. For many peanut growers, the start of the 2020
season was filled with frustration and concern.
Now that we are in July and August is not too far away, most, but not all, of the concerns about
Aspergillus crown rot are in the past. Aspergillus crown rot is primarily an early-season disease, though
under drought-stressed conditions it may appear later as well. The lasting legacy of the problems with
seed quality, reduced plant stands, and Aspergillus crown rot will be issues with Tomato spotted wilt this
year. Already I am seeing spotted wilt in a number of fields, but there is nothing that can be done now.
Apart from efforts to fight tomato spotted wilt, nematodes, and seedling diseases earlier in the season,
one of the most important periods for aggressive management of diseases occurs in July and in August.
Mistakes made now result in \u201cgetting behind in your disease control program\u201d. This is a little like getting
a lap down in a NASCAR race. No matter how hard a grower tries, and no matter how good his or her
fungicide program from this point forward is, it may be impossible to catch back up with the race
leaders.
Why is disease management so critical in July and August?
By this time of the season, three things have happened. In most fields and for most growers, the peanut
plants have (or are closed to) lapping the row middles and have entered reproductive growth (the plants
are blooming and setting pods). The growth of the peanut canopy increased leaf-wetness periods and
also traps humidity. The limbs and vines along the soil surface are in a perfect environment for attack by
soilborne pathogens that cause white mold and Rhizoctonia limb rot. To make matters even more
challenging, the growth of the plants not only increase the risk for leaf spot, white mold, and limb rot,
but the dense foliage makes it difficult to get the fungicide to the target- the interior foliage and the
crown of the plant. Secondly, by July, the amount of inoculum (often times fungal spores) is increasing
in the field, which means that the plants are under increasing attack. Lastly, because of rains during July
and August, it is easy for growers to be delayed in fungicide applications, which increases the
opportunity for diseases to \u201cget ahead of them\u201d.
What should growers be looking for?
In addition to everything else that our growers must do in July and August, I STRONLY encourage them
to put boot-prints in their fields. Whether the boots belong to them or to hired scouts does not matter
to me. What is important is that someone if watching the crop for development of leaf spot, white
mold, or any other disease, weed, or insect problem. Diseases are BEST managed preventatively
meaning that growers should NOT wait until white mold or leaf spot is present to begin treating with
fungicides. However, careful scouting alerts the growers to problems in the field where the current
fungicide program is not as effective as it could\/needs to be. Deficiencies in a fungicide program do not
necessarily mean that the fungicides themselves are not \u201cworking\u201d. Disease problems in a field are
often the results of late starts in a program, delays in making an application, or failure to get sufficient
coverage on the plants. No matter what the cause of the problem, growers should quickly try to find a
remedy for the issue.
What should growers be doing?
Regardless of the fungicide program that growers are using, it is absolutely essential that they be on
time (as much as they can) with their fungicide applications. When growers are delayed in a timely
fungicide application, the diseases have the chance to not only get established, but to flourish as well.
There are three things the growers must do for effective disease control. 1) The MUST be timely in their
fungicide applications. 2) They MUST apply fungicides appropriate for control of LEAF SPOT, WHITE
MOLD, and RHIZOCTONIA LIMB ROT. 3) They MUST insure adequate coverage, which may mean
irrigating within 8-12 hours after application, applying ahead of a rain event, or even spraying the
fungicides at night when the leaves are folded. Successful fungicide programs incorporate all three of
these considerations.
The hardest question for an agent.
The hardest question for an agent is, \u201cWhat is the BEST fungicide program out there for peanuts?\u201d In
truth, there is no single best program. \u201cBest\u201d is determined based upon a combination of factors to
include risk (as determined from Peanut Rx), value place by the grower in reducing the number of
fungicide applications, and absolute efficacy against specific diseases. The cheapest programs may be
\u201cbest\u201d for growers with low risk and excellent rotation. The most effective programs may be \u201cbest\u201d for
growers with irrigation, high yield potential, and increased risk. \u201cBest\u201d can best be determined on a
field-by-field basis.
What if disease problems occur?
Problems with disease management occur frequently in peanut fields during July and August. These
problems are almost inevitable, and, again, are typically less the result of fungicide choice and more
often the result of application problem. However, I recommend the following steps to growers in these
situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2020 season has been a difficult one for the peanut farmers even before they put the first seed inthe ground. To a level I have not seen before, growers had to make early decisions about seedtreatments and in-furrow fungicides at the same time they were trying to get the quality seed that theyneeded. Even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":304,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/304"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":498,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495\/revisions\/498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/turnerab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}