Kris Balkcom, our resident Peanut Agronomist and Extension Specialist, gives his insights on how the our peanut crop is shaping up so far.

Following warm temperatures in March, no one could have predicted the cool temperatures experienced in late April and early May. We were prepared to start back planting peanuts earlier after our weather experiences the past couple of years. However, the weather gives us unexpected challenges. We were ready this year knowing ahead of time we could face some seed quality issues. The cooler temperatures with the wet conditions early took a toll on some of the earlier planted crop. Hopefully, we will get an adequate stand with us sowing back in a few more seed. Not everyone had seed problems, and overall, the crop looks pretty good.

We have seen some thrips pressure this year, but at this point in the season, I don’t feel like it is as bad as what we experienced last year. My hope is we will dodge the tomato-spotted wilt virus (TSWV) from the thrips with some of the fields where we had stand issues. Our research has proven to us over the years that we can still make respectable yields with these weaker stands even though they are not perfect if we can avoid the TSWV.

We missed some rains during the first part of May not allowing us to incorporate some of our herbicides, but the crop is reasonably clean for now. Continue to keep scouting your fields, and get those few weeds sprayed before they get too big to kill. I know the prices are still too low which makes you hesitate on using some inputs. Don’t cut yourself too short by not using something that could make you money in the long run.

We have to continue to spray fungicides even though we feel they are too expensive for our commodity price. Sometimes we don’t spray white mold materials early enough. It is a great time to spray them while the peanut plants are smaller. This allows you to band spray the product on, save money, and still provide protection from the diseases. You still need to spray it later in the season to provide protection, but by spraying early we can be ahead of the disease and, as mentioned before, save money. I pray everyone makes a fantastic crop this year, and I hope to see you around.

Kris Balkcom is a extension specialist with Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University. He works out of the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland, Alabama. 

Dr. Steve Li, extension specialist, gives farmers a few tips for weed control after peanuts have been planted.

The recent dicamba ban has seriously disrupted the weed control plan of many growers who want to use it. No new sales of Xtendimax, Engenia and FeXapan are allowed after the court ban on June 3. Two legal options for cotton and peanut growers are either contact the dealers who still have stock of Xtendimax, Engenia and FeXapan, and have them spray those for you, or secure Tavium from Syngenta although supply is running tight. I would suggest growers prioritize their application plan and save new dicamba for fields with highest pressure of Palmer and troublesome broadleaf weeds. Liberty can take care of most common weed species in cotton-peanut rotations when they are relatively small in size (less than 6 inches). It is also the best thing for volunteer peanut control. Using medium droplet size nozzles and at least 15 GAP output on a hot sunny day will produce the best control efficacy.

For late May planted peanuts that have run into serious weed problems, Gramoxone is a great option as long as it is sprayed within 28 days after cracking. I have recommended 12 oz of 3 lb Gramoxone + 16 oz of 24DB + a group 15 residual herbicide (either 16 oz of Dual Magnum/13 oz Outlook/2.5 oz Zidua SC, or 2.5 pt./Warrant) several times on peanut fields with lots of Palmer and sickle pod. I heard good results from a few growers who used them. If nutsedge (nutgrass) is a problem in a certain area, I recommend Dual Magnum 1.33 pt./A PRE + half rate of Strongarm, (3 lb. Gramoxone at 8 oz + a Group 15 residual around three weeks after planting is the best option if PRE is not activated well). Then around 30-40 DAP, spray Cadre 3 oz + Bentazon 1.5 pt. + Dual Magnum 1pt/A, or Storm 1.5 pt./A + Strongarm 0.225 oz/A (half rate) + Dual 1 pt./A where Palmer is also a problem. Cadre + Strongarm + 24DB is a good choice to clean up broadleaf weeds other than Palmer.

The addition of a crop oil surfactant will increase control of tough weeds as long as peanuts are younger than 40 DAP. I do not like using crop oil on bigger peanuts because of leaf burn. Use Group 15 residual at least once over the top of peanuts to prevent flush of annual grasses which often requires more expensive POST grass control herbicides such as clethodim and fluazifop. Spraying Select Max or Fusillade 2-3 times to control grass is not a wise or cheap idea. If tropical spiderwort is becoming a problem, I recommend using Dual or Warrant + half rate Strongarm PRE. Apply Gramoxone as needed before the cutoff date. Then Cadre + half rate Strongarm + Dual Magnum 1 pt./A around 30-40 DAP. We have seen very good results from this program in fields with heavy pressure.

Overall, the goal for weed control is by 60 DAP, you can put your herbicide jugs to sleep until next summer. For weed control and herbicide application, it is always better early than late!

If you have questions, please contact Steve Li at steveli@auburn.edu.

Growers with small and irregular shaped fields may find an option with subsurface drip irrigation in their fields based on research from Auburn University.

Kris Balkcom, Extension Peanut Agronomist, from Auburn University, has been researching subsurface drip irrigation in peanuts since 1999 at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland, Alabama.

He uses this research to give his best recommendations to growers on how to install a subsurface drip irrigation system. The details of his research include drip tape spacing, flow rate and the type of drip tape to use.

Drip tape spacing has been one of the main components of Balkcom’s research. “Should we have 3-foot tape spacing or 6-foot tape spacing?” Balkcom says. “Our research has shown us over the years that the 6-foot tape spacing is just as good as the 3-foot tape spacing.” He notes that it may take more time to get the water out because you have less drip tape and emitters, but the plus is having half the cost in your drip tape with 6-foot spacing.

Another component of subsurface drip irrigation research is the flow rate. Balkcom’s research has looked at a higher flow rate of 0.37 gal per hour compared to a lower flow rate of 0.26 gal per hour. “They are both very comparable. Obviously, the higher flow rate will get the water into the field faster,” Balkcom says. “But in the end the yield is basically the same using either flow rate.” Balkcom recommends going with the lower flow rate because it takes less horsepower to pump the water, although more time is needed to get the water out.

This subsurface drip irrigation research has looked at the type of drip tape to use, as well. According to Balkcom, there is regular subsurface drip tape, such as Netafim tape with a typhoon emitter, and Drip Net PC, which is a pressure compensating tape to fit irregular shaped fields with rolling terrain. Growers are able to put out an even flow of water from one end of the drip line to the other.

Balkcom encourages growers to consider installing subsurface drip irrigation systems in areas without wide-open fields or plenty of water underneath the ground to serve a center pivot irrigation system. “Here in Alabama we have a lot of small irregular shaped fields,” Balkcom says. “And with the exception of extreme Southeast Alabama, water is a lot deeper in the ground. It’s a lot more costly to get that water to feed those crops through a well.” With a subsurface drip system, growers do not have to have a high flow amount of water gallons per minute. Balkcom says growers can get by with a smaller well and block it off in different zones.

Subsurface drip irrigation is beneficial to growers in our region because of the following:

1. It fits the fields – small, irregular fields and rolling terrain.
2. Uses less water – can use a smaller well.
3. No 3-phase power needed – most rural areas do not have access.
4. No risk of damage or theft – everything is underground.

“One of the big turn-offs to subsurface drip is there’s no companies that go in and install subsurface drip,” Balkcom says. “It is some back-breaking work and hard work, but I think it’s certainly well worth what you get in the end using subsurface drip irrigation.” Balkcom says the engineers at the irrigation companies will design and draw out the system, and it is easy to follow, like putting a puzzle together.

Once the subsurface drip irrigation is installed it is a permanent fixture. The subsurface drip irrigation system at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center has been in the ground since 1999. “When we started back in 1999 there were places in Texas that had tape for 20 years at that time,” Balkcom says. “That’s what made us interested.” The technology has changed over the years, but the tape lasts in the ground because it is not exposed to the sun and does not degrade.

Precision agriculture technology has made it where growers can plant their rows in the same place year after year using GPS features on a tractor. “Precision ag technology gives you the capability of being sub-inch accuracy from one year to the next to know exactly where you have something,” Balkcom says. “When we plow in the tape we know where it is, the tractor knows where it is ever year, so we can plant our crops accordingly to that and go in and not damage the tape.”

Another plus to subsurface drip irrigation is it does not have to be removed for digging peanuts. The drip tape can be plowed in at 13 to 14 inches deep for the Dothan sandy loam soil type with a clay base, and 10 to 11 inches deep for sandier soils. “With these depths we are plenty deep to be out in the field with any tillage or implements,” Balkcom says.

Growers interested in learning more about subsurface drip irrigation can contact Kris Balkcom at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (334-693-2010) or email him at balkckb@auburn.edu.

NOTE: This article was published in the May/ June 2020 issue of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer.

Peanut Farmers Donate 14,400 Jars Of Peanut Butter To Alabama Food Bank Association

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – June 11, 2020 – Alabama Peanut Producers Association (APPA) donated 14,400 jars of peanut butter to the Alabama Food Bank Association to assist eight regional food banks with feeding their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on hunger-relief efforts around the state, and peanut butter is a favorite item for food banks.

“Alabama peanut farmers are especially grateful to grow a crop that is so wholesome and nutritious,” said APPA President Carl Sanders, a peanut farmer from Coffee County. “Peanut butter is filled with protein and essential nutrients, not to mention is shelf-stable, versatile and does not require refrigeration. Those qualities make peanut butter one of the most requested items at food banks.”

APPA was able to make the donation by partnering with Alabama Ag Credit, Alabama Farm Credit and First South Farm Credit. The peanut butter is provided by Peanut Proud, Inc., the humanitarian arm of the peanut industry. Special thanks also to Southern Ag Carriers, Inc. for transporting the peanut butter from Blakely, Georgia to Montgomery.

Jacob Davis, APPA executive director, and Sanders were present for the delivery of the peanut butter at the Montgomery Area Food Bank.

Alabama is home to about 900 peanut farmers, and approximately half of the peanuts produced in the U.S. are grown within 100 miles of Dothan. For more information, visit alpeanuts.com.

One of the earliest insect pests of peanuts includes the small flying insects called thrips. Thrips have bristly wings and can fly or ride the air currents over long distances. There are several species of thrips that can be found on peanuts, most commonly the tobacco thrips and the western flower thrips. Thrips also transmit the spotted wilt disease in peanuts caused by virus.

Peanut plant with thrips damage.

Thrips adults are good at finding host plants as they migrate to peanut fields and start feeding on the terminal leaves of peanut seedlings with their rasping mouthparts. This extensive feeding can cause severe leaf deformation and death of small plants that may be exacerbated by drought or unfavorable growing conditions for peanuts. Adults also lay eggs on peanut stem terminals that hatch into small yellow immature thrips that start a fresh generation (2-3 week life cycle). Thrips are capable of reproducing parthenogenetically, so populations can increase rapidly over few weeks and overcome the seedlings.

Many peanut producers use phorate (Thimet) as in-furrow treatment and that protects plants when adequate levels of soil moisture is present. Other in-furrow products we have tested and found effective at labelled rates in single-row planting system include imidacloprid (Admire Pro 4.6F and Velum Total pre-mix) and acephate (Orthene, can also be applied foliar).

A word of caution – if you are applying to peanuts as twin rows then you are splitting application over two rows that definitively reduces the effectiveness of in-furrow insecticides. You will need to watch out for high thrips populations this summer and apply rescue foliar insecticides for thrips control as needed.

Some excellent foliar materials include spinetoram (Radiant 1 SC), novaluron (Diamond 0.83EC), and others. Radiant is an excellent rescue insecticide against thrips that is also effective against small caterpillars and other pests that may visit peanut plants.

Twin vs single row thrips

Consult the Peanut IPM Guide (link below) for finding all insecticide choices and follow the label. Plan your IPM strategy to include insecticides from different chemical classes to avoid insecticide resistance. Consult a regional extension agent if you need assistance with insect identification and IPM planning suitable for your location.

Subscribe to the Alabama IPM Communicator E-newsletter for future pest
alerts, visit www.aces.edu/ipmcommunicator and click the subscription button. Insect monitoring and reporting program is funded by grants from the Alabama Peanut Producers Association and the National Peanut Board.

Further reading: Peanut IPM Guide (IPM-60):
https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/crop-production/peanut-ipm-guide/

Timely information from Dr. Ayanava Majumdar (Extension Professor), Kris Balkcom (Extension Specialist) and Dr. Scott Graham (Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist) from Auburn University.

The Southern Peanut Farmers Federation has opened registration for the 2020 Southern Peanut Growers Conference set for July 16-18 at the Edgewater Golf & Beach Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida.

This conference give growers the opportunity to learn about new technology and research, as well as legislative issues emerging in the peanut industry. Growers can also connect with peanut industry professionals from across the Southeast.

Register Online

Conference Information

Hotel Accommodations – Edgewater Golf & Beach Resort
Call 1-800-874-8686 and give the Code: 115784

Sponsorship Packet

For more information, please contact APPA at 334-792-6482.