Indeed, 2016 was not a good year for effective nodulation and early peanut root growth in the Virginia and Carolina region. The growing season started relatively cool and wet. Under this condition peanut developed only a few roots with a reduced number of nodules. These plants were smaller and less green than “normal” plants in particular when planted in crop residue because this maintained soil cooler and wetter. Figure 1 is an example and shows three peanut plants planted on May 9 and picture was taken on June 25. Two plants at the left are smaller, yellower, and with less root growth and number of nodules. These were planted in sorghum residue. The plant at the right is bigger, greener, and has more roots and nodules, but was planted in cultivated and sandier land.

Smaller and yellower two plants at the left are due to poorer nodulation than for plant at the right, even though planted at the same time.

What can be done to prevent poor nodulation, then? One very important thing is to inoculate at planting. But even then, in cool and wet soil roots grow slow for fast inoculation and Bradyrhizobium bacteria may die in absence of oxygen if the soil is too wet. Ammonium sulfate can be used up to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre, which is about 714 pounds of ammonium sulfate per acre. Usually at beginning flowering poor nodulation will show up in yellow and smaller plants, and right then inorganic nitrogen needs to be applied. The sooner, the better.

It is, therefore, important to scout not just for disease and insects but also for the number and size of the nodules in the first 45 days after planting. To establish a threshold of nodules a farmer should look for during this time, my program has found that after two weeks after planting an average number of 5 big nodules on the main root is to be expected; at 30 days, 70 nodules of any size on the main and lateral roots; and about 130 at 45 days after planting.

I was recently made aware of a long list of fungicides involving the European Union and their restriction on some chemical residues on peanuts. Over the last couple of weeks there were rumors that these restrictions have been relaxed but apparently these rumors are unfounded, I was told. Well, for the industry that exports peanut this is quite serious because any trace of any of the chemical on that list may result in failure to their business. The list includes many fungicides for bacterial diseases, which are not a common problem in the VC region; others, however, like Tilt Bravo SE are. For the sake of staying informed and alerted at what it is and what may come, here I provide that list, with the recommendation that growers do not use any product on that list. Notice to Growers – Products Not To Be Used

As we are getting close to a new peanut season, I thought you might want to know in summary what peanut “pointers” in the region and beyond are envisioning for 2016. Here I prepared a compilation of news, comments, and recommendations from the peanut specialists across the country; I included some of my own thoughts as well.

Unanimously, cultivar selection seems to be the most important production decision. Virginia-type cultivars Bailey, Sugg, Sullivan, Wynne, and Emery are recent releases, but registered seed for 2016 production is only available for the first four. They can produce high yields (Bailey in particular) and have good disease resistance package (Sullivan in particular). Bailey and Sugg have normal oil chemistry, and the others are high oleic cultivars. Wynne, Sugg, and Emery have larger kernels than Bailey and Sullivan. Runners can also be successfully grown in Virginia. Georgia-09B, Florida-07, FloRun™ ‘107’, TUFRunner™ ‘297’, and TUFRunner™ ‘511’ are preferred by shellers. I only tested Georgia-09B and Florida-07 in the past, and they both yielded comparable with Georgia-06G and Bailey. I will have an answer about the others for the next year’s planting season.

Speaking about planting, three things were always mentioned at specialist talks: rotation, rotation, and rotation. In Virginia, we are now seeing good yields because of good genetics and rotation; I don’t think we changed other cultural practices by much but could afford longer rotations when acreage dropped. In one out of three or more years peanut should be planted in the same field. Good rotation crops are corn, sorghum, cotton, and small grains, but not soybean. With longer rotations, beneficial Rhizobia bacteria should be provided at planting for optimum nitrogen fixation. Bacteria are living organisms. Handling it with care is what ensures successful inoculation. For us, liquid inoculant applied in furrow on top of the seed worked very well for the past few years. Nitrogen fertilizer seems never to work as well for peanut as an efficient inoculation.

Legumes including peanut are good scavengers of phosphorus and potassium, but require calcium, boron, and manganese, which are deficient in sandy soils preferred by peanut. Calcium and boron deficiencies are difficult to detect until after harvest in the form of “pops” when calcium was insufficient and damaged kernels by “hallow heart” when boron was not enough. Therefore, to ensure sufficient calcium and boron for the growing seed recommendation to apply these nutrients early on in the season, beginning flowering to beginning pegging, is generally accepted by all peanut specialists. Manganese deficiency is easy to see and correct for when it happens. Sulfur might have become needed in peanut production, but timely gypsum application takes care of both, calcium and sulfur. Some specialists talk about zinc toxicity. I personally have not seen one in Virginia, but it does not mean it may not be. Having soil tested every year always helps. Recommendations are to keep soil pH at 6.2 when soil-test zinc is 10 pounds per acre and 6.6 if zinc is 40; but then more manganese is needed.

Protection wise, there were many talks about PPO herbicide and neonicotinoid insecticide resistance, and removal from the market of Tilt Bravo™ because of export concerns. An early tank mix of Alto 100 SL (5.5 oz) and Bravo WeatherStik (1.0 pint) can be used instead of Tilt Bravo™. Velum Total by Bayer has proven good control of thrips in peanut tests in Virginia and North Carolina. Also an improved tank mix version of Provost has become recently available as Provost Opti by Bayer.

The bottom line, 2016 is going to be under El Niño influence, with warm weather in central Pacific; wet and cool fall and winter, dry and warm spring, and dry late summer. Ron Heiniger, corn specialist at the North Carolina State University, thinks 2016 is going to be an excellent year for corn production, but what about peanut? Warm and dry spring, dry late summer, and cool and wet fall? Oh no, not again! Maybe a good option is to get ready to plant early, if indeed the temperature is over 65 °F or better 68 °F; plant Wynne, Sugg, Gregory, and CHAMPS (I know there are still a few growers that grow those) only if irrigation is available; plant at least two cultivars in dryland, Bailey and Sullivan.

Due to suitability to the environmental conditions and existence of a strong peanut industry tailored to process primarily the large-seeded Virginia-type peanut, growers in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina generally grow Virginia-type cultivars. In the view of a common interest in the Virginia-type peanut, the three states are working together through a multi-state project, the Peanut Variety Quality Evaluation (PVQE), to evaluate advanced breeding lines and commercial cultivars throughout their production regions. The objectives of this project are: 1) to determine yield, grade, quality, and disease response of commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines at various locations in Virginia and the Carolinas, 2) develop a database for Virginia-type peanut to allow research-based selection of the best genotypes by growers, industry, and the breeding programs, and 3) to identify the most suited peanut genotypes for various regions that can be developed into varieties. This report (http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-164/AREC-164.html ) contains agronomic and grade data of the PVQE tests in 2015.

A nice summary of the 2015 nationwide peanut crop  is attached here from the JLA’s editor Foy Mills. Information on Argentine and Brazilian peanut crops is included. I hope you will enjoy the reading. Merry Christmas and a successful 2016 New Peanut Year! End of year 2015 JLA US Peanut Summary

I thought you might be interested to see peanut acreage distribution by county in Virginia from 2011 through 2015. Dell Cotton, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Peanut Board, graciously helped me to compile it.  It is attached here. Peanut Acreage

Virginia state peanut meeting is scheduled for February 10, 2016, at 9:00 am at the Airfield 4-H Conference Center in Wakefield, VA (15189 Airfield Rd, Wakefield, VA 23888
(757) 899-4901; http://www.airfieldconference.com/). See you there!

I attached here two documents. One is the latest JLA update on peanut with information covering Virginia-Carolina region JLA Report_Oct 15. The second is an update by state by Spearman Agency 2015 TS Peanut News.