Implementation of the PeanutFARM Website to Deliver Irrigation Scheduling, Improved Methods of Peanut Maturity Determination and Disease Prediction to Peanut Growers

To remain both economically and environmentally sustainable, peanut growers require access to new technologies and tools that can maximize production through improved agronomic management of their peanut crop, including in-season and harvest decisions. With the release of the web based tool, Peanut FARM (Field Agronomic Resource Manager) funded in part by the NPB/SPRI program in 2012, 2013, and 2014 growers now have access to a suite of tools. TOOL #1: Peanut maturity predictor. An adjusted growing degree day (aGDD) model for predicting peanut maturity has been incorporated into a web platform and was launched for the 2013 growing season. TOOL #2: Irrigation Scheduling System. Launched with the aGDD tool in 2013, this tool utilizes cumulative aGDD's and ET to estimate crop water use and provides daily irrigation recommendations. TOOL #3: PeanutPROFILE. Our team has finalized the development of a subpage on PeanutFARM where growers are able to upload images taken from a scanner and receive an automated message about when to dig. This tool uses the Digital Image Model (DIM) to assess peanut maturity and this has been shown to successfully translate the digital analysis of mesocarp color into a digging date prediction. Further, we will soon have the web app for PeanutFARM released and will require grower training and possibly troubleshooting. Now that these tools have been developed and successfully launched on a web platform (and the web app that is now in development based on NPB support in 2015), continued maintenance of these web tools as well as continued field trials validating the tools is critical.