Following is some timely information from Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist. We have Peanut Quick Reference Guides and Peanut Rx at the Worth County Extension Office.
by Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist
Growers are beginning to make plans on when to start planting. I have already received several calls
from growers asking about planting in the first part of April if the soil temperatures and moisture are
perfect for planting. In answering this question, there are several key things I would have growers
consider.
The first thing for growers to consider is the risk for TSWV. Remember, planting in April is at a higher
risk compared to mid-May. This does not mean growers do not need to plant in April, it just means they
also need to adapt other strategies for reducing TSWV like: applying Thimet insecticide, planting good
quality seed, proper seeding rate, twin row, proper plating speed, in-furrow fungicide, and planting in
good soil moisture and temperatures.
Available moisture is another key factor to consider when deciding about planting in April. In recent
years, growers have had adequate moisture in late April but waited until May due to soil temperatures
being 65 degrees instead of 68 degrees and/or they wanted to reduce their risk for TSWV. The problem
was it turned off dry in early May and they had to wait until rains in late May to early June which
reduced their overall yield potential. Therefore, if a grower does not have irrigation, has adequate
moisture in late April, has a soil temperature of 65 degrees or higher, and the forecast is not favorable
for rainfall within the next week to ten days, then it would be advisable to go ahead and plant.
This DOES NOT mean that everyone should be planting in early to mid-April. The risk of TSWV is still
very high on early plantings, even if everything else is done right to lower TSWV risk.
Seed Quality and Other Important Planting Information
Since all of our meetings were virtual, we did not get a lot of questions in each session. With this in mind,
I wanted share some questions received involving seed quality and planting decisions along with the
appropriate answers/recommendations.
• How is the quality of the seed for this year? Seed quality should be significantly better this
year as harvest conditions in 2020 were better than in 2019. This does not mean you will not
have seed issues. You need to make sure to ask for the % germ for each lot of seed you
purchase. Seed storage is also important — please do not store seed in a place that has
significant fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. If you receive seed over time from
the sheller, make sure to adhere to the first in first out rule.
• Will In-furrow fertilizers improve plant stands and emergence? First, this not a recommended
practice in peanut. However, there is an increasing trend of in-furrow fertilizers being sold for
in-furrow applications in the last few years. Based on the seed complaint calls that I have been
on, I can honestly say in-furrow fertilizers can and will cause significant stand loss and delayed
emergence in some situations up to 7 days. I would advise growers to be very cautious in what
they put in-furrow with peanut seed. Currently, the only thing recommended in-furrow with
seed is insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, and inoculants. Do not put fertilizers in-furrow
with seed.
• Does it benefit to apply an inoculant every year? No. Fields in a 3 year or less rotation should
have enough residual bacteria in the soil to provide the nodulation and nitrogen fixation
needed for high yielding peanut. However, above and beyond our research data, and
considering that weather events over the winter can alter bacteria levels in fields from year to
year, applying an inoculant each year is one of the best insurance policies you can buy to
guarantee adequate nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Most of the inoculants cost around $8 to
$10 per acre.
• An inoculant is needed and should be applied for fields out of peanut for more than 4 years.
What type of inoculant is best to use? Based on all of the research conducted, liquid
inoculants are more effective than granular and hopper box treatments
(liquid>granular>hopper box) in fields where peanuts have not been planted in 4 plus years. In
a rotation of 4 years or less, the difference among inoculant types are minimized. The most
important thing is to apply an inoculant of any type to make sure you get adequate
nodulation/nitrogen fixation.