Cropping systems and Agronomic Management Research for Peanut

In the current study year conducted at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland, AL, peanut cropping patterns, which include 28 years of continuous peanut, two consecutive years of peanut following a minimum of one year of bahiagrass, com, or cotton, one year out rotation with peanut following bahiagrass, corn cotton, grain sorghum, pearl millet, soybean, and summer fallow, and two year out rotation with peanut following two years of bahiagrass, corn, or cotton. No extended rotations beyond two years between peanut crops was scheduled for this study year. The disease and nematode resistant Georgia-14N, partially disease resistant AU NPL 17, as well as the disease and nematode susceptible Georgia-09B were included as sub plot treatments in all rotations. Leaf spot defoliation was not influenced by peanut cropping frequency but was by cultivar selection with AU NPL 17 and Georgia-14N having similarly lower defoliation ratings than Georgia-09B. Stem rot incidence differed by peanut rotation and cultivar with less disease noted at one- or two-year out rotations with Georgia-09B and AU NPL 17 but not the highly resistant Georgia-14N where disease ratings were similarly low. While the impact of rotation on root-knot pod and root damage along with juvenile counts were not greatly impacted by rotation but did differ by cultivar with Georgia-09B and Georgia-l 4N having the greatest and lowest ratings, respectively, for each of these variables. A significant interaction for yield illustrates the differing impact of peanut cropping frequency on yield as influenced by cultivar selection. Regardless of peanut cropping frequency, yield was greater for the disease and nematode resistant Georgia-l 4N as compared with the susceptible Georgia-09B. Yield response of the leaf spot and stem rot partially resistant AU NPL 17 was intermediate between the latter two cultivars. In a one-year out rotation, previous crop also impacted disease and nematode damage along with yield. Typically, similarly greater yield was obtained for the one- and two-year out rotations compared with continuous peanut. Superior yield with reductions root-knot damage were obtained with soybean, com, grain sorghum, pearl millet, and bahiagrass compared with cotton, summer fallow and of course, peanut. In the two year out rotations with bahiagrass, com, and cotton, yield for peanut were similar.