PEANUT GROWTH IN LATE SEASON
A peanut farmer asked me a very good question yesterday. He said, “My dry land peanuts have about 1,000 pounds per acre of peanuts around the tap root but it loaded after this rain with match head sized peanuts on the limb. Should I harvest my tap root crop or do I have time to wait on this limb crop?” Unfortunately, he did not have time to wait on the limb crop. It would take 40-45 days for these peanuts to be good sound mature kernels under ideal conditions (not the cool mornings we will have in late September and October).
Listen to Dr. John Beasley, University of Georgia Extension agronomist, as he talks about late season peanut growth on On The Farm at OTF-BeasleyHarvest9-26-11
I have taken pictures of different growth stages of the peanut and how long it takes for each stage (assuming the plant has moisture and warm temperatures to mature normally). See below. Remember in cooler weather peanut growth will slow. So as we reach the cool temperatures we generally get in October it will take longer for the peanut to mature.
Pegs begin to enter the soil about 8-12 days after the flower is pollenated
From match head size to full size pod will take 14-16 days
From a yellow to a medium orange (which will be a harvestable peanut and sound mature kernel) will take about three weeks
From medium orange to brown about three weeks
Pods will move through the black class in 19-21 days
Georgia Peanut Crop Update
Dr. Beasley gives a Georgia peanut crop update at OTF-BeasleyPeanutUpdate9-26-11
A great post, Eddie! You’ve got this stuff figured out.