Peanut Management Systems for Texas

Variety selection is the most important decision made during the year. Unlike herbicide or insecticide decisions that can be changed during the season to address specific conditions and pests, variety selection is made only once, and variety selection dictates the management of a field for the entire season. Variety decisions should be based on specific pest resistant characteristics to minimize the pest pressure during the season. Maturity is also important variety characteristic for maximizing yield potential based on the environment. Planted acres decreased to 155,000 acres in 2018 from 275,000 acres in 2017. Winter drought of 2017 severly affected the planting conditions in the 2018 season. Dry weather continued until September across Texas. Due to the dry condition, in-season disease pressure was below average. Excessively wet conditions started near the end of September and continued to November, which delayed digging and harvesting of peanuts beyond the optimal timing in many locations. Peanut production in Texas expericend a challenging growing season with both extreme drought and wet conditions within a single growing season.