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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Dawson, Georgia » National Peanut Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #310419
Title: Technology for Improving Production, Economic Efficiency, Quality and Sustainability in Peanut Production and Handling

Author
item Lamb, Marshall
item Sorensen, Ronald - Ron
item Butts, Christopher - Chris

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2014
Publication Date: 4/22/2014
Citation: Lamb, M.C., Sorensen, R.B., Butts, C.L. 2014. Yield and Economic Responses of Peanut to Crop Rotation Sequence. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: none required.

Technical Abstract: Proper crop rotation is essential to maintaining high peanut yield and quality. However, the economic considerations of maintaining or altering crop rotation sequences must incorporate the commodity prices, production costs, and yield responses of all crops in, or potentially in, the crop rotation system. Certain commodity price combinations could warrant shortening rotation sequences from a profit maximization standpoint that would be in direct conflict with agronomic recommendations. Farmers must be able to make these decisions within the scope of a single production season as well as knowing the longer-term impact on profitability of potential cropping systems. Proper farm planning and crop rotation response data are two essential elements that are prerequisite for farmers to adequately assess the economic and agronomic impacts of potentially changing crop rotation sequences. A large-scale irrigation and crop rotation research project consisting of five replicated irrigated and non-irrigated cropping sequences including peanuts, cotton, and corn were defined as: continuous peanuts (PPP), cotton/peanuts/cotton (CPC), corn/peanuts/corn (MPM), cotton/cotton/peanuts (CCP), and cotton/corn/peanuts (CMP). The peanut yield in the PPP rotation was 2945 kg ha-1 in the non-irrigated treatment. Non-irrigated yields in CPC and MPM rotation sequences were 3512 and 3469 kg ha-1, respectively and yields in CCP and CMP rotation sequences were 4252 and 4201 kg ha-1, respectively. The peanut yield in the PPP rotation was 3636 kg ha-1 in the irrigated treatment. Irrigated yields in CPC and MPM rotation sequences were 4714 and 4669 kg ha-1, respectively and yields in CCP and CMP rotation sequences were 5295 and 5365 kg ha-1, respectively. The economic impacts of changing rotations can be quantified using the WHOLEFARM planning software. A new breakeven cross-commodity price matrix (CCPM) has been incorporated into WHOLEFARM to calculate the price change for a specific commodity that is required to equal profitability in other commodities. In addition, the CCPM can be used to directly calculate the price changes that would be required to justify shortening peanut rotation sequences.