Peanut Pointers

water for the season.

Growers ask what inputs they can reduce to lower the total input costs. There are no unnecessary inputs to grow crops, especially fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides. It is better to plant fewer acres that can be fully managed with necessary inputs. It is too risky to reduce inputs because there would be a yield penalty to do so.

Soil testing is especially recommended to optimize input costs. Understand the residual soil nutrient levels so that fertilizer amounts can be effectively adjusted. If crops were not harvested in 2022 because of drought, if fertilizer was applied, there is higher probability that soils contain an increased amount of nutrients, depending on the rainfall received.

inches to 18 inches, may be a good idea to increase available water for peanuts with realistic yield goals. Shorter maturity market-types, such as Spanish and Valencia, also use less

Help With Variety Selection

There are no silver bullet in-furrow and foliar products that magically solve all the problems we face in this tough season. If such products are recommended to you, always request university trial results and consult with your county agent.

KRIS BALKCOM Auburn University Extension Specialist

As of now, it is hard to imagine what the weather will be like at planting since we have been so wet lately. However, a third year of a La Niña weather pattern is forecast and likely means warmer temperatures and dry conditions again at planting, which leads to earlier pest pressure.

There are always tough decisions to make on the farm, and picking the correct variety is a critical decision. Because of this, our research station and on-farm trials are important tools to help you determine the right variety for the location and accompanying crop pressures.

This past year, we increased the number of Official Variety Trials across the state and planted varieties at multiple on-farm locations to determine how each variety would respond to different soil types, weather patterns, pests and disease pressures. The more information we can provide, the better prepared peanut producers are to manage the crop throughout the year.

A review of yield and grade information for each location in addition to a total dollar value average for the location or multiple years per location can help you make the best decisions for 2023. The AU Variety Selection Platform is still a relatively new tool that growers can use to determine what varieties consistently perform well in a given region. The Platform also gives considerable production information and weather data from the various research sites, as well as the bulletin “Preliminary Performance Of Peanuts In Alabama, 2022.”

The AU Variety Selection Platform can be found at auburn.medius.re/. PG