If peanut acres in 2021 go up or down, it likely won t be by much. Either way, peanut farmers, like many others across the South, could use some breaks in 2021. Right now, we just hope we ll start the year off better than last year without as many problems with stands as we unfortunately experienced last spring. We hope we ll see better germination and quality. It does not mean that we re going to skip out on some problems this year, but we do need a better year for certain, said Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist.
Weather-wise, conditions this winter have treated most of the Peanut Belt better than in previous seasons, he said, and that s a good starting sign.
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Brad Haire
In a Georgia peanut field survey in 2020, one in ten fields had greater than 20% tomato spotted wilt virus. A survey of peanut fields verified some trends of tomato spotted wilt virus and the use of at-plant treatments.
In 2020, University of Georgia Extension agents measured the levels of tomato spotted wilt virus in 292 peanut fields in 34 Georgia counties.
The survey verified some trends and the use of at-plant treatments for tomato spotted wilt. Mark Abney, UGA Extension peanut entomologist, discussed the survey findings during a UGA Peanut Team production meeting in February. It s a survey, so it has stats and percentages that can veer the mind sideways at times. Abney will give his take on the data after you take a look.
From a field and back into a field, seed peanuts take a journey, and each step forward contributes to or takes away from the seed s quality and stand. There are things that happen all through the year and even into the next year, when you pick up that bag of seed, that can affect seed quality, said Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension agronomist.
Monfort spoke about peanut seed quality for the annual Alabama Row Crops Short Course organized by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The course wasn t held in person this time but is available online as a video series.