Rainfall has covered the county in the last 7 days, and the soil is wet. Many growers have been busy planting cotton and peanuts, even up until the rain came yesterday. The corn crop is really growing at this time, and melons, beans and other vegetables are coming along, also. Below is the observed precipitation for Worth County for the last 7 days.
How will these rains affect growers currently? Following are a few situations that growers be encountering.
Wet Weather and Peanuts (Dr. Eric Prostko):
1)The current rainfall event that is occurring in many parts of Georgia will likely result in Valor (flumioxazin) injury in some peanut fields. Here are some photos of injury from Dr. Prostko’s trials:
TAKE HOME POINT FOR THE VALOR/PEANUT INJURY ISSUE: VALOR INJURY IS LIKELY BUT YIELD LOSS IN NOT!
2) Peanut growers who have missed the recommended application timing for applying Valor + Strongarm + Prowl or Sonalan (PRE) should not panic. My suggestion would be to let the peanuts emerge, then treat herbicide “naked” fields with an EPOST application of Gramoxone + Storm or Basagran + Zidua or Anthem Flex + NIS (Page 221 of 2024 UGA Pest Control Handbook). I usually do not have a preference between the Group 15 herbicides (Anthem Flex, Dual Magnum, Outlook, Warrant, Zidua). However in fields that were not treated with any Prowl or Sonalan, I do prefer Anthem Flex or Zidua in the first EPOST treatment because these herbicides provide slightly better control of Texas panicum (i.e. bullgrass or buffalograss). Check out the picture below from my 2023 research plots. No PRE herbicides were applied (on purpose) but I was still able to obtain very effective weed control. This situation is not ideal but growers can make it work.
If we can be of assistance at Worth County Extension, please let us know.
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