The Search For 70

A grouping of 70% to 75% orange, brown and black hull-scraped pod colors is a maturity level ready for digging.

By Amanda Huber

Indeterminate. It means unknown, uncertain, imprecise and unclear. Unfortunately, that often describes knowing when to dig peanuts.

As an indeterminate crop, peanuts will continue to grow vegetation while putting on new reproductive structures. Determinate crops, such as corn or wheat, stop vegetative growth when entering the reproduction state. That is why these crops mature more evenly. The continuous setting of new peanut pods throughout the season results in a wide range of pods in various stages of development at harvest.

A Critical Economic Decision

Determining when to dig is a difficult but critically important economic decision. Immature pods will not produce the desired yield, grade, flavor or subsequent crop performance. Overly mature pods may fall off the vine during digging or sprout in-shell in the field. Research has shown that digging a week early or late can decrease yield as much as 500 pounds per acre and reduce grade by several points.

Days after planting is not a good gauge for when to dig peanuts, but it is a figure in which to start checking peanuts with the hull scrape method. In the color development of the mesocarp, orange, brown and black are the most mature.

The general progression of mesocarp color is similar across peanut market types; however, the associated days between stages may vary based on the maturity range of the particular cultivar. Runner peanut varieties are often categorized as medium at 133–139 days, medium-late at 140–145 days or late-maturing at 146–155 days. Early maturing would be prior to 133 days after planting. Medium maturity of a Virginia-type peanut is generally 130–135 days after planting.

Use Days After Planting To Start Sampling, Not To Dig

Most Extension publications recommend producers start spot checking maturity at about 120 days after planting. Use the pod blast or hull scrape method to expose the mesocarp, and then sort pods into color piles of white, yellow, orange, brown and black pods. If most of the crop is immature, a majority of pods will be white to orange. Place the samples on a maturity profile board to determine days until digging.

Optimum maturity for runners is 70% to 75% pod color in the orange, brown and black categories with a majority of brown and black. Add the combined number of pods from the brown and black classes, then divide by the total number of pods from the blasted sample for a maturity ratio. This calculation is sufficient to determine digging if the samples taken from a field average 70% at the optimal maturity level or higher.

The difficulty arises when the sample pods break down into two distinct groups of similar size with few pods in between. This bimodal distribution, or split crop, is often caused by drought or other extreme weather events when the maturity of the crop slows or nearly ceases. In this situation, a grower must decide whether to harvest the more mature group or wait and harvest the second group once it reaches maturity.

Other digging considerations include vine health, acreage, equipment availability and weather. Peanuts can wait for a time but, eventually, disease and pod loss will decrease yield. Use days after planting as a guide to start sampling for maturity and hull color guidelines to verify that maturity. Disease control earlier in the season is critical to maintain the peg strength to carry peanuts to full maturity. PG

The majority of orange, brown and black pods in this sample would indicate it is time to dig.

Resources:

• University of Georgia Peanut Production Guide found on the UGA Peanuts website at https://peanuts.caes.uga.edu/. • Peanut Money Maker Production Guide from Clemson University found on the Extension’s peanut production website at https://www.clemson.edu/extension/agronomy/peanuts • Methods to Evaluate Peanut Maturity for Optimal Seed Quality and Yield, an article found on the Florida Peanut Team website at https://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/florida-peanut-team/

Protect Your Bottom Line with a Long-lasting Disease Control Foundation

Unpredictable weather conditions, equipment breakdowns, tending to other crops and sometimes just life make it tough, if not impossible, to get back into peanut fields with perfectly timed follow-up fungicide applications. This can lead to gaps in your management program, allowing disease to spread through fields. To avoid those gaps, choose a management program with strong residual activity at the start of the season to boost yield potential and help maximize return on investment.

“The best analogy to make when describing peanut disease management is the process of applying paint to a wall,“ says The Peanut Doctor, Syngenta Agronomic Service Representative Wilson Faircloth, Ph.D. “If you don’t sand that wall and get the first layer of paint just right, there is no paint you can buy, regardless of how expensive it is, that will cover up the mistakes you made

the first time. With managing peanuts, if you don’t invest in a good fungicide program at the beginning – you end up throwing a lot more money away trying to fix past mistakes toward the end of the season.”

To prevent gaps in your protection plan, the Peanut Doctor recommends using a combination of Miravis® and Elatus® fungicides. This powerful combination sets the industry standard for performance and length of residual control. Miravis and Elatus both offer up to 28 days of residual activity, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing your yield is protected from white mold and leaf spot diseases,even if your follow-up applications didn’t happen exactly as planned.

To hear what else The Peanut Doctor has to say, visit SyngentaUS.com/PeanutDoctor or use the QR code to the right.

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Peanut Growers Can Harvest More Peanuts with a 5-Spray Program

A 5-spray program grounded in Miravis® and Elatus® fungicides provides powerful disease control and supports high yield potential when compared to a traditional 7-spray program using older chemistry.

5000

Yield (pounds per acre)

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

4375 4154

Increase yield potential with Miravis® + Elatus®

3703

3426 3280 3365 n=6

3288

1990 Application Timing

A = 35 DAT B = 42 DAT C = 49 DAT D = 56 DAT F = 63 DAT G = 77 DAT H = 84 DAT I = 91 DAT J = 105 DAT K = 119 DAT

Miravis® + Elatus® 5 Spray Program – 7.2 oz.: Bravo® + Elatus (A), Elatus + Miravis (DH), Bravo (JK)

Miravis + Elatus 5 Spray Program – 9.5 oz.: Alto® + Bravo (A), Bravo (CK), Elatus + Miravis (FI)

Elatus 7 Spray Program: Alto + Bravo (AJ), Bravo (CGK), Elatus (FI)

Priaxor® 6 Spray Program: Priaxor (BG), Bravo (FK), Bravo + Tebuconazole (IJ) Convoy® 6 Spray Program: Priaxor (B), Convoy + Bravo (FI), Bravo (GJK)

Provost® Opti 7 Spray Program: Bravo (AJK), Provost Opti (CFGI)

Fontelis® 7 Spray Program: Bravo (ACJK), Fonteils (FGI)

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All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission. Product performance assumes disease presence. Performance assessments are based upon results or analysis of public information, field observations and/or internal Syngenta evaluations. Trials reflect treatment rates and mixing partners commonly recommended in the marketplace. © 2022 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Elatus®, Miravis® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective owners. Bravo® is a trademark of Adama Corporation.