By Sam Ingram
Most producers in the county are more than halfway finished with planting peanuts and some are completely finished. Good stand establishment is key for high yields. Pictured below is a dryland field that was planted twin row.
In a single row planting, we normally shoot for 6 seed per foot of row, in this twin row planting we simply divide that seed between the two rows.
Majority of our peanut seed are treated with an insecticide or we use an in furrow insecticide treatment. One of the pests we are looking to control are tobacco thrips. Dr. Mark Abney speaks more about controlling this pest.
“As a reminder, there is no economic threshold for thrips in peanut. So, when do we make an insecticide application? If adult and immature thrips are present and there is visible damage, it is time to consider a spray. If we wait until the terminals are brown and dying, we are probably too late. The impact of controlling thrips in peanut is not as clearly defined as it is in cotton, and there is no guarantee that foliar sprays will provide much if any return on investment. Nevertheless, it is very hard to see a field with heavy thrips damage and not do something about it.
Growers should remember that the active ingredient (thiamethoxam) in CruiserMaxx Peanut is only expected to give thrips control for 21 days after planting. Fields approaching 21 DAP should be on the list for a walk-through to evaluate thrips pressure.”