Peanut Varieties in Short Supply

During the production season of 2010, much of the peanut producing area suffered harsh drought conditions.  This led to reduced yields and quality problems on last years crop, and will have lasting effects into this season.  Dr. John Beasley, Peanut Specialist with the University of Georgia told me this morning that he had been in contact with Birdsong Peanut Company and Golden Peanut Company representative over the past several days discussing seed quality.  At this point, quality for several lots of Georgia Greener were below acceptable levels.  These lots have bene diverted into the edible market, however this will make supply even tighter for this variety.  There will be some seed available, however there will likely not be enough to meet demand.  At this time, there have also been some reports of Georgia O6G having below acceptable germination in some lots as well.  However this problem is not as extreme as for the Georgia Greeners. 

The germination problems that we are seeing now is believed to be entirely related to weather issues during the growing season last year.  There is no genetic problems with the varieties, and this problem should be resolved with better growing conditions.

Growers planning to plant Georgia Greener this season need to make arrangements now to ensure that you have seed.  As always, I encourage growers to pay attention to the seed certificates on each lot of seed you purchase.  If quality is below what you are expecting, don’t plant the seed.  It is better to spend an extra day before planting finding good quality seed than to spend all season with a bad stand.  If you are unable to get the seed you have requested, there are other varieties that will be available with a proven yield history.  Please refer to the peanut variety trials for more information on how varieties perform in your area.