As many of you know May is a busy month for a peanut farmer mainly because it is prime planting time for peanuts. However, some of the crop is planted during the month of April. I am fearful of what we could see from the warm, dry, late winter and early spring. This weather will bring on more thrips pressure, which could lead to more TSWV and an increase in nematode pressure.
I know you may have already planted some peanuts and can’t do anything now and TSWV pressure is lower later in the planting season, but nematodes pressure will continue. Therefore, keep that in mind planting forward with variety selection or a nematode treatment at planting. Besides trying to maneuver around the farm and get all the peanuts planted, you are also trying to access what’s been planted to determine if you have an adequate stand everywhere.
Timeliness is everything to back track the crop plantings and assess the stand because if any needs re-seeding, we need to be aggressive and replant in a timely fashion. First, we need to determine what caused the problem. There are several factors that can prevent a good stand of peanut such as: percent germination, soil temperatures, soil moisture, seed-to-soil contact, seedling disease, and herbicide damage. Next, what type of stand do I have? Is it a uniform solid stand, skippy and erratic across the field, or maybe just a planter unit problem consistent across the field? Does the plant stand have huge gaps in it or small amounts of variability between the emerged plants? Look for a pattern of some kind. Whether its soil type, moisture maybe a terrace channel, a bottom, sandy flat, or maybe two different seed sources or varieties. One of these factors should indicate what is the problem.
We know we want to have a final plant stand of four plants per foot for maximum yield. However, if TSWV isn’t an issue, we can achieve respectable yields with as low as 2.5 plants per foot. Maybe no one will be in this situation this planting season, but if you are, make some stand counts and determine what caused the problem, then decide whether to replant or not. ∆
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
