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.

In Virginia peanut digging started this year two weeks earlier than in most years, on Sep 15 in most counties. This is because of the combination of genetics, early maturing cultivars, and weather. One may say this summer was dry. Indeed, it was and some fields were more affected by drought than others. But it was a certain type of drought: cool and wet alternating with warm and dry long periods of time. For example, May was warm and dry, and suitable for early flowering; June and half of July were cooler and moist; perfect for peg and pod growth. And that was it: one huge, uniform crop set early on in the season and not two crops like we usually see in dry years. Altogether, by mid Sep the 2600 accumulated heat units were sufficient for Bailey and Sugg, the mostly grown cultivars in Virginia this year, to mature.

 Over 85% of the peanuts in Virginia have been dug and in most part picked by now. Yields of those picked before Joaquin and dug after the storm are in 4,000 lb/ac yield and grades are good. Peanuts dug right prior to Joaquin are in good shape, but a lot of pod shedding occurred and this will reduce yield. The peanuts dug a week ahead of storm are in poor shape and some segregation 2 peanuts with a high content of damaged kernels was sold. No segregation 3 was yet reported. A lot of sprouting was also observed.

Peanut sprouted not just after falling off the vines, but also on the vines

Excessive moisture was the cause of pod drop and sprouting

I have recently seen several peanut fields or spots in the fields around the Tidewater AREC with yellow plants resembling nitrogen deficiency. Colleagues in North Carolina are also getting concerned with peanuts needing late season nitrogen applications. Similarly, in one of my research fields we noticed a part of the field with yellow plants resembling nitrogen deficiency next to dark green plants for the rest of the area. Indeed, early this summer Kelvin Wells, Extension Agent in Sussex county VA, brought in some samples of yellow peanut plants. Right away I identified nitrogen deficiency because there were no nodules on the roots and plants were starting blooming; also the farmer did not inoculate at planting. It was easy. But with the plants from my own field trial it is not so easy! Yellow and smaller plants had larger nodules than the bigger and greener plants and in a similar number on July 17 when I checked. Nodules from both plants, green and yellow, were dark red when cut, indicating active nitrogen fixation (pictures are attached here Unusual peanut color). The green plants were planted on May 10 and the yellow ones on May 22. I really do not have any other explanation than probable negative effect of high temperatures and dry conditions experienced by late planted peanuts in Virginia this year. This could have affected root growth and nodulation for young seedlings and carried nutritional imbalances over to later stages.