Research Report #709
January 2007
2006 PEANUT, COTTON, AND TOBACCO
PERFORMANCE TESTS
J. LaDon Day, Anton E. Coy, Stevan S. LaHue,
Larry G. Thompson, and Paul A. Rose, Editors
The Season
The 2006 row crop season in Georgia can best be described as dry and hot. The first
week of April was cool. Spotty rainfall during April and May resulted in drought conditions
over much of the state. The drought situation was magnified in the southwest Georgia
area by producers having to irrigate peanut in order to dig during fall of 2005 and then
having to irrigate peanut land during spring of 2006 to prepare land to plant peanuts. Early
and mid May were cool but late May and early June were hot and dry. By mid June less
than half of the crops were rated as good. Much of the non-irrigated crops were severely
damaged by drought unless they caught a timely rain. Hot late June and July conditions
and short water supply made it difficult for irrigation systems to keep up. Late July and
August rains were often too late to improve the crops.
Rainfall amounts recorded monthly at the five test locations in Georgia during the 2006
growing season are presented in the following table. The rainfall deficit during the nine
month 2006 growing season averaged 12 to 14 inches (40% less). The exception was at
Plains, Georgia where precipitation was normal mainly due to a wet July and August.
Tropical storm ‘Alberto’ in June brought brief relief across South Georgia leaving the North
part of the state ‘high and dry’.
2006 Rainfall1
Month
Athens2
Attapulgus3
Midville
Plains
Tifton
-------------------------------------- inches ------------------------------------March
April
May
1.83
2.33
1.81
0.55
1.89
4.26
0.78
1.96
1.62
1.93
2.90
2.87
0.30
1.68
2.70
June
2.38
5.56
5.85
1.68
4.17
July
3.78
4.22
1.12
5.22
2.88
August
1.76
4.69
2.00
9.98
2.85
September
1.63
6.74
1.58
2.48
2.03
October
2.17
2.32
2.19
4.85
1.14
November
3.19
2.29
2.84
3.25
2.92
Total
20.88
32.52
19.94
35.16
20.67
Normal (9 mo)
36.76
38.74
33.95
35.29
35.11
1. Data provided in part by Dr. G. Hoogenboom, Georgia Station, Griffin, GA.
2. Plant Sciences Farm.
3. Attapulgus Research Center is nearest location to the Bainbridge site.
J. LaDon Day is program coordinator of the statewide variety testing program and Paul A. Rose is research professional II in the
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Georgia Station, Griffin, GA 30223-1797. Anton E. Coy, Stevan S. LaHue, and Larry G.
Thompson are senior agricultural specialist, agricultural specialist, and research professional I, respectively, in the Department of Crop
and Soil Sciences, Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, GA 31793-0748.
Georgia producers reduced planted acres of some crops during 2006 after having
increased acres the past three years. Peanut growers reduced their crop by 23%, while
cotton and tobacco acres increased by 10% and 13%, respectively. Production costs went
up dramatically during 2006 mainly due to the high cost of fuel. Not only did some farmers
idle irrigation systems due to lack of water, but the high cost of fuel prohibited the operation
of the power units to pump water.
Harvest proceeded at a normal pace over most of the state. Again this fall, peanut
farmers had to irrigate their crop before digging. 575,000 acres (23% less than 2005) of
peanuts were harvested this year and per acre yield is set at 2,650 pounds, 7% less than
last year. Production reports of 1.5 billion pounds of peanuts are 29% less than 2005.
Cotton harvested acres increased 10% this growing season but production decreased by
20,000 bales or 1%, much better than expected. Tobacco planted acres increased during
2006 (2000 acres), an increase of 13% more than in 2005. Further, per acre yield of
tobacco increased 165 pounds coupled with increase in acreage produced about 6.5
million more pounds than during 2005.