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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #155712

Title: PEANUT YIELDS IN CONVENTIONAL AND CONSERVATION TILLAGE SYSTEMS UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION LEVELS

Author
item Balkcom, Kipling
item Rowland, Diane

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/5/2003
Publication Date: 11/5/2003
Citation: Balkcom, K.S., Rowland, D. 2003. Peanut yields in conventional and conservation tillage systems under different irrigation levels. In Annual Meetings Abstracts [CD-ROM]. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) producers in southwest Georgia, irrigating from surface water sources, were required to participate in drought auctions during 2001 and 2002. In the fall of 2001, a study was initiated to determine optimal application amounts of water for conventional and conservation tillage systems to maximize yields and enhance peanut quality. Mechanical losses, yields, sound mature kernels (SMK), and aflatoxin contamination were investigated in three tillage systems (conventional, narrow strip tillage, and wide strip tillage), replicated three times, and assigned to four blocks. Blocks were established under a three span lateral irrigation system, nozzled to simultaneously apply three different irrigation levels (33%, 66%, and 100% of desired amounts) and a dryland control area, on a Greenville fine sandy loam (fine, kaolinitic, thermic Rhodic Kandiudults) near Dawson, GA. Although results indicated no differences in yield or SMKs between tillage treatments within irrigation levels, yields were responsive to limited amounts of irrigation water. Mechanical losses were variable among treatments, however no differences were detected. Aflatoxin contamination only occurred in the dryland and 33% water environments, but tillage was not a factor. Future research, across multiple weather environments, will verify if differences between conventional and conservation tillage systems exist under limited water environments.