Crop Wrap-up Seed quality sets the tone for season-long effects in the Southeast.
Aspergillus crown rot was found in a lot of fields this year.
By Amanda Huber
T
he Southeast crop seemed to be fated from the start. A drought in late-season 2019 meant that seed peanuts would likely have germination problems. Testing in the seed lab over the winter confirmed this speculation. The difficulty getting a good stand of peanuts set the tone for the remainder of the season. In The Furrow University of Georgia Extension peanut specialist Scott Monfort says with the reduced germination rate, some producers responded by increasing the seeding rate. However, work done over the past 10 years from UGA cropping systems agronomist Scott Tubbs on seeding rate has shown that going significantly above the seeding rate does not pay off in yield. Monfort says, “In twin-row peanuts, we typically don’t go over eight seed per foot of row. We think producers have been pushing this number to get more yield. One single rows, farmers are pushing eight, nine and 10 seed per foot.
10 /
THE PEANUT GROWER • NOVEMBER 2020
“The problem is when you put more than seven seed per foot of row, those seed are on top of each other or are touching. In a year such as this where seed are rotting in the furrow, you are increasing problems with germination even more.” Seedling Disease Jeff Davis County Georgia Extension agent Jennifer Miller says it was no secret farmers were going to have issues with seed quality this year. But once the crop was up, problems were still prevalent. “I saw Aspergillus crown rot in abundance this year. Peanut seed that is saved goes through a lot of hot and dry weather and can have a buildup of pathogens in and on the seed. A good seed treatment and in-furrow fungicide applications can and do help, but sometimes that is not enough. “If you see dead plants in a row and dig them up to find a black smutty-looking growth at the soil line, that’s Aspergillus crown rot.” PEANUTGROWER.COM
