When we get into May we have already invested a lot in the peanut crop and set the stage for yield potential. The weed scientists talk a lot about the critical period of weed interference. For peanuts, that’s generally during the first 6 weeks of the season. To optimize yield we need the crop to grow without competition from weeds during this time. Certainly we need to dig peanuts, and weeds that come in later can interfere with that process and create major pod loss. However, controlling weeds during the first month or so after the crop emerges really sets the stage for optimizing yield. That is why we encourage an effective burndown program for reduced tillage and adequate and uniform tillage in conventional tillage. The money we spend upfront brings in a dividend. If you can incorporate a herbicide that is a great start. If not, apply residual herbicides right after the planter, and add a contact or systemic burndown to the mix if there are emerged weeds. This happens sometimes when we till and get delays in planting. We get out of sync. Another challenge can be wet weather prior to tillage. Sometimes we are just covering up weeds and not killing them when we disk. The result can be that in a few weeks you have 12-inch weeds scattered across the field. If there is any doubt about how well you can kill all the weeds with tillage, apply an effective burndown before you begin tilling. It may seem like a waste, but if you are just covering up some of the weeds with a disk, you will be chasing them in a few weeks.

After planting, and regardless of how good you think your weed control is, make sure you don’t have any small escapes. I very often recommend paraquat plus Basagran plus residuals about three weeks after peanuts emerge. In the southeast, Storm plus paraquat is used a great deal. Either combination serves the purpose of cleaning up the weeds that slipped through the at-planting herbicides.

In the V-C region, it’s critical to stay on top of thrips. We are often a week or so late for our foliar sprays to suppress this insect pest. If peanuts are stunted and terminals in poor shape, we are indeed late spraying, and we may have experienced yield loss and greater transmission of tomato spotted wilt virus. Be proactive on these sprays.

As we move through May we might have some fields that have less than ideal stands. What does less than ideal mean? In a perfect world, you would have 4-5 plants per foot of row all the way across the field. What if you have 3 plants or perhaps two? I would say three is okay but yield will be lower than 4 or 5. But I wouldn’t replant if I had at least 3 across the field. Less than two needs a replant while between 2 and 3 can be a gray area. Peanuts can take a long time to make a stand, especially in the upper V-C, and that can make it challenging to know whether to jump in with a replant or plant a few more seed off to the side of the initial planting. Large gaps in stands can be the major issue, and if you have many of those, a replant is needed. This type of situation most often warrants a phone call and discussion. In June I’ll hit on fertility issues for Virginia market types and some thoughts on fungicide programs.