Why not tackle as many problems as possible from the get-go?
Emergence and seedling vigor are critical to a successful crop. Getting over the first hurdle of pest pressure is also crucial for achieving good yields. Those early season problems include both nematodes and thrips.
Timing and waiting on the proper soil temperatures, plus special attention to what is added in the furrow at planting will help the crop get its best possible start. Uniformity and quick canopy coverage will shade the ground for developing pegs, but it all starts with planting and selecting in-furrow pest products.
Too Early Can Lose The Advantage
“You can stack it up any way you want, but the earlier you try to plant a peanut, the more problems you’re likely to encounter,” says Jack Royal, crop consultant in Leary, Georgia. “You want that plant to pop out of the ground as quickly as possible and roar off to a good start. You can’t do that when soil temperatures are too low — sometimes even if the temperatures are marginal.
“If you get a cold snap immediately after planting, there’s a good chance you’ve lost any advantage you thought you had by itching to get that planter in the field.”
Royal says he hopes no peanuts hit the furrow until soil temperatures are at least 70 degrees or higher. “Anything sooner than that, you might as well be playing blackjack,” he says. “You might get lucky, but they don’t build those casinos on a house of cards. They build them on statistics and years of research.”
Manage Multiple Problems At Once
While some growers balk at the price of AgLogic aldicarb, Royal says it’s worth the investment.
“AgLogic aldicarb has made a significant difference in our ability to produce cotton and peanuts,” he says. “The seed treatments have lost effectiveness due to resistance.
“Most of my cotton growers use standard seed from the manufacturer if they put aldicarb under their cotton. That saves them about $18 to $20 an acre, which goes toward AgLogic. We’re back to a better place for managing nematodes, thrips, spider mites and other early season pests.
“Peanuts are similar. Most of the same problems found in cotton are also in peanuts.”
Take The Worry Out Of Early Pest Pressure
Blakely, Georgia, grower Sam Hattaway agrees. “Thrips and aphids are always an obvious concern,” he says. “Using AgLogic comes with the added advantage of nematode control. Other options to control nematodes are expensive.”
AgLogic aldicarb applied in furrow on peanuts is registered at 7 pounds per acre at planting and 10 pounds per acre post-emergence. All applications should be incorporated into the soil.
“It’s been very good for us,” Hattaway says. “It takes a lot of worry out of the early season pest pressures, so we can deal with other problems that always seem to pop up.”
Picking Up Where It Left Off
It’s not particularly easy to reinstate a research initiative after a product like aldicarb has been off the market for five years. In addition to a new name, growers, consultants and researchers have questions about why they are even interested in a product that has been around for more than four decades. Turns out, the answer is similar to what it was in the ’70s.
“Even before I arrived, aldicarb has been a consistent performer in our trials early in the season for years to control thrips injury,” says Dan Anco, Extension peanut specialist with Clemson University’s Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, South Carolina. “Early closing of the rows and shading the ground for developing pegs are important steps to encouraging success of a peanut crop.”
A Consistent Performer
Across any peanut growing area, researchers and Extension personnel have consistently evaluated the value of in-furrow pesticide applications for decades.
“AgLogic is extremely effective against thrips in peanut, and our research shows that early season thrips injury does reduce yield,” says Mark Abney, University of Georgia Extension entomologist.
The Benefits Of In-Furrow Pest Protection
As planting ramps up, growers are still considering their options.
“While aldicarb has long been considered the ‘swiss army knife’ of crop management, its value has not remained static,” says Lee Hall, AgLogic Chemical Co. vice president of business development in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
“The benefits of in-furrow pest protection are being rediscovered. What was once old is new again. Who really wants to bring that sprayer out of the shed and run it across the field if you can take care of it upfront in the furrow?”
Article by Brenda Carol on behalf of AgLogic Chemical Co.
