Peanuts are produced on approximately 200,000 ha in the Atlantic coastal region of Georgia. The humid subtropical climate promotes high yields; however, pest pressures are high. Crops are treated frequently with a variety of active ingredients for weed, insect, and disease control. In this presentation, we describe relative runoff risk of herbicides and fungicides from peanut produced under conventional and conservation tillage. Data were collected over ten years during a study when peanut and cotton were produced in an annual rotation. Total fungicide loss was up to 5% of applied and exceeded herbicide loss by more than 5-fold. This was due in part to the much higher frequency of fungicide application and the occurrence of runoff-producing storm events close to their time of application. Findings indicate that where fungicides are used intensively on crops like peanut, relative runoff risk may be high.

Pesticide runoff risk during peanut production in the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain

246th National Meeting (2013)

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