Question:

What does it mean when it is said that a higher seeding rate "gives a tighter crop" or a "more compact crop"?

Jordan:

The closer the plants are together, there is less of a limb crop and more of the pods are around the tap root. Ultimately, there is less difference in maturity across pods on the plant when the pods are mostly around the tap root. The statement is referring to maturity. Tighter means greater uniformity in maturity. When plants are further apart the plant has pods around the tap root and limbs. Pods on limbs are further behind in terms of maturity. When you have more plants you often have fewer pods.

*Yield is not lower due to fewer pods on a plant (absence of a limb crop) because you have more plants per acre with a higher seeding rate. A higher seeding rate does not always result in higher yield per acre but it often results in higher market grade characteristics. Data on yield response to seeding rate in small-plot work in NC and VA can be found at the following link. Peanut seed is the single most expensive input in peanut production. Increasing the seeding rate above 4 or 5 seed per foot does not always increase financial return even though yield and market grades might be higher with higher seeding rates. The increase does not always off-set the higher production cost. We have relatively good tomato spotted wilt resistance in our varieties, especially Bailey II, and tomato spotted wilt seems to be less intense in our region than in the southeastern US. If our varieties were more susceptible to this disease or we had greater intensity of this disease, higher seeding rates would have a greater positive impact on financial returns.

Peanut Response to Seeding Density and Digging Date in the Virginia-Carolina Region

Information on yield response to seeding rate in large-plot, on-farm trials, can be found in the last chapter in 2024 Peanut Information.