Summer 2025
David's Blog
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Past Blog Postings
September 2, 2025
Opportunity for Free Nematode and Soil Analysis. Dr. Maira Duffeck has put together a survey to better understand the nematode and fertility situation facing cotton growers. The survey is for cotton growers, but many cotton fields will be rotated to peanuts next year so the soil sample will benefit peanut growers too. This provides peanut and cotton growers attending the Peanut and Cotton Fort Cobb Research Station Tour the opportunity to get some FREE nematode and fertility results on your fields. See the flyer attached.
August 29, 2025
Wet, cool days are great weather for peanut diseases. It's a relief to get to turn off the pivot, but now field scouting is more important than ever! We have perfect temperatures for late leaf spot, web blotch, sclerotinia blight, southern blight and others. Moisture on the leaves at these temperatures can shorten the lifecycle of foliar diseases so be disease aware.
PHI. Be aware of pre-harvest intervals (PHI) for your fungicides. Based on when you plan to dig it may be necessary to apply pesticides sooner rather than later to control or slow diseases.
July 24, 2025
The Heat Dome has arrived. Hot days and hot nights and no rain; it does slow down disease issues but can increase the insect pressure. We are already seeing some spider mites from top to bottom on peanut leaves. Spider mites start at the bottom of the plant and work their way up, so if you seeing them on the top leaves you will need to apply a miticide. We still have time for blooms to turn into peanuts before harvest, so we still have a chance for all fields to make a good crop.
July 10, 2025
Spring was a challenge but Summer has been better! We are really seeing the peanut crop grow quickly now. We've have some high humidity and good growing conditions. However, good growing conditions for peanuts are also good growing conditions for peanut diseases; especially Peanut Leafspot and Southern Blight. OSU Plant Pathologist Dr. Maria Duffeck has sent out a Pest e-Alert on Peanut Diseases you might find helpful. Also, OSU Entomologist Dr. Ashleigh Faris has sent out a Pest e-Alert on Scouting and Managing Worms in Peanuts so check it out if you want to better identify foliage feeders in peanuts. So check out the links above in blue.