Maximising peanut kernel quality and yield

Abstract

Peanuts represent a valuable crop of some 35,000t grown annually in Australia with a total crop value of $40M. Nevertheless, approximately 60% of Australia's peanut demand relies on imports. Extensive research conducted by the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture underscored the advantages of peanut rotations to enhance soil chemical, physical, and biological properties in sugar-based farming systems of the Coastal Burnett.
Increased peanut production hinges on achieving consistently high yields. An understanding of peanut varieties and their optimal sowing rates is required to maximise the yield and the percentage of edible-grade kernels. This is critical because peanuts are an indeterminate crop, with grower payment contingent upon kernel grade/quality.
In response to these peanut production challenges peanut variety by population experiments were conducted during the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Variety impact on yield occurred in only the 2022/23 season where all the runner varieties out-performed the Virginia type and variety Kairi performing the best of the runner types. The plant population only affected yield in the seasons when there were high levels of foliar disease. In 2021/22 yield was maximised at 240,000 plants/ha whereas yield was maximised at 180,000 plants/ha in 2023/24. In the season where foliar diseases were well managed, yield was stable across the range tested (60,000 – 240,000 plants/ha).
When foliar disease was controlled in 2022/23, quality was maximised at 120,000 plant/ha and when the disease affected the 2023/24 crop quality was maximised at 240,000 plant/ha. Based on these trials growers in coastal environments should target a population of 180,000 plants/ha as a strategy to minimise the impact of possible disease incursions.
The annual variation in the profitability of peanut production represents a threat to the sustained production of peanuts in the Coastal environment. Attention to detail on a foliar disease management program, correct harvest date and weather events drove the variability in yield and proportion of edible grade kernels in these experiments.