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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #220665
Title: Preliminary Report: On-farm validation of an integrated weed management system in certified organic peanut production in Georgia

Author
item BOUDREAU, MARK - HEBERT GREEN AGROECOLOGY
item WALKER, RELINDA - WALKER FARMS
item Johnson, Wiley - Carroll
item HICKS, RAY - GA EXTENSION SERVICE
item SMITH, NATHAN - UNIV OF GA
item CANTONWINE, EMILY - VALDOSTA STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/18/2007
Publication Date: 1/12/2008
Citation: Boudreau, M.A., Walker, R., Johnson, W.C., Hicks, R., Smith, N. Cantonwine, E. 2008. Preliminary Report: On-farm validation of an integrated weed management system in certified organic peanut production in Georgia. Proceedings of the 2008 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Conference, January 10-13, 2008, Savannah, Georgia. p. 50-51.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is increased interest in organic crop production in the southeastern U. S., particularly organic peanut production. Weed control is the major limiting factor to successful organic peanut production. In recent years, results of small-plot research indicated techniques of weed management that offered promise in organic peanut production. On-farm validation of these results was conducted in 2007 on a certified organic farm as part of a Southern SARE grant in cooperation with Hebert Green Agroecology and agricultural researchers at USDA-ARS, University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, and Clemson University. The field site was on Walker Farms in Screven County, operated by Relinda Walker. The farm is a certified organic farm. Approximately 2.25 acres of ‘Georganic’ peanut were planted in late May. Peanut were cultivated twice per week for the first six weeks using a Williams Tool System flex-tine cultivator (http://www.marketfarm.com/cfms/williams_tool_system.cfm). The flex-tine cultivator is a light-weight, high-speed cultivator with multiple rows and gangs of adjustable spring tines. Tines in the row middle are set with aggressive tension while tines over the drill are adjusted to less or no tension, depending on the stage of crop growth. Supplemental weed control with hand-weeding was conducted five times throughout the growing season. Georganic peanut has excellent resistance to foliar and soil-borne diseases, along with tolerance to spotted wilt. Therefore, peanut were not treated with synthetic fungicides or insecticides for pest control. The initial planting of Georganic peanut resulted in an erratic, sub-optimal stand. Georganic peanut were re-seeded in off-set rows one week after the initial seeding to supplement the original stand. The flex-tine cultivator operated at semi-weekly intervals for six weeks provided acceptable control of annual grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds. The initial cultivation began when peanut were emerging (“cracking”), which was just prior to weed emergence. In addition, the grower fastidiously adhered to the semi-weekly cultivation regime. These two factors were the main reasons for the excellent performance of the flex-tine cultivator for weed control in organic peanut. It was noted that large-seeded broadleaf weeds (primarily sicklepod and morningglories) were not consistently controlled with the flex-tine cultivator, thus one sweep cultivation was included in the cultivation regime. Handweeding supplemented the flex-tine cultivation. A total of five handweeding operations were conducted, with each progressively easier than the previous handweeding. None of the handweeding operations were overly arduous or time-consuming, indicating the overall effectiveness of flex-tine cultivation. The host plant resistance of Georganic to diseases was impressive. Overall, incidence of spotted wilt and stem rot was minimal. A moderate leafspot epidemic developed the last two weeks of the season, but had little effect on peanut yield. Peanut were harvested in late-October. Final yield of the certified organic peanut was estimated to be 3000 to 3500 lbs./A.