Peanut Plant Stand Issues Resulting from Tractor Speed and Downforce at Planting and Physical Damage.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production in Georgia can be affected by a multitude of different factors. Some of these factors include non-uniform plant stands resulting from excessive tractor speed at planting or inaccurate seed depth placement. Other factors include physical damage from a variety of different sources such as hail damage, animal feeding, or movement of equipment throughout the field. If this physical damage occurs, alternative management strategies may be necessary to mitigate yield loss. A peanut trial was conducted in 2019, 2020, and 2021 to determine the optimal tractor speed at planting and downforce setting to achieve the most accurate seed spacing and depth placement. An additional trial was conducted in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to assess plant response to vegetative injury occurring at different timings and intensities. These results will aid producers in making informed decisions after physical injury to the peanut canopy occurs along with planting settings to achieve optimal plant stand and yield.