Peanuts

Peanuts are unique.  They are not really nuts, but are peas that produce their pods underground.
 

	Understand the origin and distribution of the peanut (groundnut)
	To learn the climatic and edaphic requirements of the peanut.
	To become familiar with peanut types and their uses.
	To understand the basic management of peanuts.
	To learn how peanuts are utilized.

Peanuts are an American crop with their center of origin in Brazil.  Peanuts first moved to Africa during the first use of slaves to harvest sugarcane in Northeastern Brazil.  The peanut (groundnut) was adopted by African farmers, especially along the Gambia and Senegal Rivers.  Later, slaves from these regions brought the peanut to North America.  Peanuts were first grown commercially in Waverly, Virginia in 1844.

The peanut is a legume, similar to beans and peas.  The growth habit differs with the development of pods and kernels underground.  Peanuts are very site-specific.  They grow best in light, sandy soils with at least 200+ frost free days, and 42-54 inches of rainfall.  These requirements limit the distribution of peanuts around the world.

There are four peanut types.  The Virginia peanut, producing large seeds (500/lb.) And used for gourmet peanuts.  Runner type peanuts are slightly smaller (700/lb) and are grown in warmer humid areas.  Spanish (100/1400/lb) and are grown in the more arid climates.  These peanuts are more apt to be processed into peanut butter and other peanut products.

IV. Origin and Importance    1 Grown on 47 million acres.    2. Grown in:

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• India
• China
• Nigeria
• U.S.
• Senegal
• Brazil

4. On 1.47 million acres (Average 2100 lb/A).

5. 230,000 tons of peanut hay harvested off 300,000 acres.
 

6. Leading states:  Georgia Texas North Carolina Alabama Virginia Oklahoma

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7. Native of South America.

• Slave ship carried them to Africa and then to U. S.

• Civil War increased importance, Yankee soldiers like them and created demand

• Represent major field crop in Virginia.
• Plus 60 million dollars annually in Virginia.
• Suffolk one of the largest peanut production areas in U. S.

1. Peanut is legume, similar to beans and peas.

2. Differs with habit of developing - pods and kernels underground.

3. Prefer moderate rainfall and abundant sunshine and high temperatures.

4. Need moisture most at bloom to two weeks before harvest.

5. Best when annual rainfall 42-54 inches.

6. Need a frost-free period of 200 days + .

• Average growing period 110-150 days.

8. pH of 5.8 to 6.2 best.

• Light soils offer least resistance to:
• Penetration of the pegs that must enter ground
• The recovery of nuts from the soil when digging.

1. Peanut is legume (pea rather than nut).

2. Short day plant (photosensitive).

3. Varieties separated into bunch and runner types.

• Bunch - closely clustered nuts around base of plant
• Runner - nuts scattered along prostrate branches from base to tip

5. Flowers born in leaf axils above to 3" below ground.

6. After pollination, the section immediately behind the ovary (peg) elongates and pushes the ovary into the soil where pod develops (geotrophism).

7. Are self-pollinated, just before or after flower opens.

8. Fruit is indehiscent pod containing 1-6 (usually 1-3) seed.  Seed is actually an Embro covered in a thin paper coat of various corns.

9. Weight of bu of unshelled nuts - 22 lb., 28 lbs. for runner type.  10. Seed dormancy is characteristic of runner types.  Needs several weeks or month in dry storage

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Peanut Types

1. Four types grown in U. S.:

• Virginia

 
• Bunch and runner types
• Dark green foliage
• Large pods
• Large seeds (500/lb)
• Russeted seed coats
• Occasional pods have 3 or 4 heads
• Grown mainly in Virginia and North Carolina.

 
• Runner

 
• Have 700 seed/lb
• Grown mostly in Georgia, Alabama, and Florica

• Spanish

 
• Bunch-type peanuts
• Erect in growth, light green foliage
• Rarely have more than 2 seeds/pod
• Short seeds - 1,000 - 1,400 seeds/lb
• Grown in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama
• Lead in production

• Valencia

 
• Many types have 3-4 seeds
• Very sparse branching habit
• Dark green foliage
• Seeds long or short
• Seed coats purple, red, russet, or tan
• Are relatively unimportant
• Limited acreage in New Mexico

1. Seedbed should be well tilled and plowed to a depth of 8-9 inches.

2. Shelled seeds planted give better stands than unshelled nuts.

3. Treat seed with fungicide.

4. Inoculation of peanuts with proper rhizobium.

5. Select a recommended variety.

• Early - NC 17
• NC 7
• Florigiant
• VA 61R
• NC 6
• late- GK 3

7. Select a well drained soil.

8. Lime soil to pH of 5.8-6.5.

9. Have adequate soil fertility level.

• P - high,   K - medium to medium +

• April 20 - May 10 in Virginia
• Planting in cold moist soil get seedling diseases
• Temperature should be 65 for 3 days at 3-4" depth

• Runner varieties - 4-6" apart in rows
• Bunch varieties - 4" apart

• Too much K in fruiting zone can increase pod breakdown and reduce seed size.

• Never plant runner varieties less than 30"
• Some years, yield increase in bunch varieties in 18-24" rows

15. Plant more than one variety if allotment is more than 20 acres.

• Allow to dig each at its optimum fertility

• Normally returns about $3.00 for each $1.00 invested.

• Controls thrips, early leaf hoppers and spider mites

• Use PPI herbicide for nutgrass
• Preemergence herbicides for full season control

• Soil on stem can cause rot

• 1/2 lb boron/A
• Fungicidal dust
• Control southern corn rootworm
• Apply first leafspot control (last week of June-continue 10-14 days intervals until digging)

22. Dig when about 70% of the shells turn brown on inside.

• Peanuts are dug with a digger/shaker at 50% moisture and windrowed until 15-20% moisture is reached.  Then they are threshed with a combine.
• They are then dried to 10% moisture (temperatures must be lower than 100^oF).

1. Peanut plant uses residues not used by previous crop and does not respond to additional fertilizer on very fertile soils.

2. Pegs as well as roots can absorb elements from the soil.

3. They are usually grown in leached sandy soils of relatively low fertility.

• Require abundant K and P
• 12-20 lb/A of N except in poor soils
• Exchangeable calcium in the soil should be at least 700 lbs.A
• Ca can be applied with Mo, B, and Cu at blooming time on foliage

1. Peanuts deplete soil and depress yield of crop that follows them.

2. Peanuts should only be planted on land one in every three or four years.

3. Rotation should include at least two soil-improving crops, one of them a winter cover crop.

4. Rotations will reduce blight attacks, nematodes, and leafspot.

5. Peanuts should not follow soybeans or lupines because of disease.

6. Southern blight is often serious if peanuts follow cotton.
 
Processing and Utilization

1. Domestic food use accounts for slightly over 53% of U. S. supply.

• 50% peanut butter
• 22.4% salted
• 22.8% candy
•  4% other

3. 10% is exported.

4. 7% is used for seed.

5. Processing involves:

• Removal of rocks, sticks, stems
• Machine shelling
• Blanching - give them whiter appearance
• Nuts are crushed to open up oil cells
• Cooked at 235 degrees F for 90 minutes
• Oil extracted by hydraulic press
• Crude oil is filtered and residual cake is ground into meal
• An average ton of cleaned unshelled peanuts yields 530 lb. Oil, 820 lbs. Meal, and 650 lbs. shells
• 100 million lbs unshelled peanuts/year are used for planting
• 450 million lbs shelled nuts are crushed to produce 180 million lbs. of oil

• 2-1/2 lbs. as peanut butter
• 1 lb. As salted peanuts
• 1 lbs. As candy

V. Summary

Peanuts are an excellent source of nutrition.  They contain all the amino acids essential for animal growth.  They are rich in phosphorus and an excellent source of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.  Therefore, where possible, peanuts make a valuable addition to a cropping system.

The problem with peanuts is they are so site -specific and require a high degree of management.  They also can be exhausting to the soil and need to be grown in long rotations.  Unfortunately, due to the lack of adapted peanut soil and climate, the temptation is to grow peanuts too often on the same field.  This makes them expensive, due to the increased need for fertility and pest control.
 

	Where did peanuts come from?  How were they spread around the world?
	What are the specific climatic and edaphic conditions necessary for peanut production?  How does this influence distribution?
	What are the peanut types?  How are they used?
	How are peanuts utilized?  What are the special characteristics of peanuts?