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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Dawson, Georgia » National Peanut Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #119453
Title: GRADING HIGH MOISTURE FARMER STOCK PEANUT LOTS

Author
item Blankenship, Paul
item Lamb, Marshall
item Butts, Christopher - Chris
item Whitaker, Thomas
item WILLIAMS, E. - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: Peanut Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Farmers in the U.S. are required to market peanuts as identity preserved lots at or below 10.49 % moisture content. This moisture requirement prohibits mixing of lots requiring artificial curing prior to grading and limits buying points from utilizing continuous flow dryers and alternative inventory control methods requiring lot mixing before farmer marketing. A comparison of peanut grades at moisture contents above and below the current moisture requirement in all three U.S. peanut producing areas was conducted during crop years '98 and '99. Equations were derived from collected data that allow prediction of grade factors, lot weights, and lot values from high moisture grades. Equations to estimate lot weights and lot values were very found to be accurate. Equations derived for grade factors, lot weights and lot values based on high moisture grading may offer an alternative modification in U.S. peanut grading and farmer marketing allowing an increase in the maximum moisture content at grading.

Technical Abstract: Farmers in the U.S. are required to market peanuts as identity preserved lots less than or equal to 10.49 % moisture content (MC) wet basis. A comparison of peanut grades, weights, and values at moisture contents above (Hmc) and below (Lmc)10.49 % was conducted at 16 buying points during crop year '98 and at 22 points in '99. Buying points were located in all three U.S. peanut producing areas both years. Randomly selected Hmc lots of runner, spanish, and virginia type peanuts were weighed and unofficially graded by the Federal State Inspection Service personnel with standard procedures. Lots were cured to MC < 10.49 % and graded officially for farmer marketing. Data from both years were combined for analysis. Both Hmc and Lmc grades were conducted on 543, 62, and 81 runner, spanish, and virginia lots respectively. Moisture contents for runners averaged 16.3 % at Hmc grading and 8.7 % at Lmc grading: for spanish, 15.8 and 8.7 %; and for virginia, 17.0 and 9.1 %. Only 3.8 % of all lots evaluated had Hmc moisture contents greater than 25 %. Equations were derived that predicted Lmc grade factors, lot weights (LW's) and lot values (LV's) from measured Hmc factors by peanut type. Equations to estimate Lmc LW's and LV's for runner peanuts had correlation coefficients of 0.998 and 0.997, respectively. Correlation coefficients for spanish Lmc LW's and LV's were 0.998 and 0.995 and for virginia 0.996 and 0.993, respectively. Derived equations for Lmc grade factors, LW's, and LV's may offer an alternative modification in U.S. peanut grading and farmer marketing allowing an increase in the maximum MC at grading.