Forage Potential of Cultivated Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)1

Abstract Livestock production enterprises in the southern USA depend primarily on forage for feed. With the development of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) lines with good late leaf spot (Cercosporidium personatum (Berk. & Curt.) Deighton) resistance in the Florida breeding program, studies were initiated in 1983 at Marianna to evaluate their forage potential. Peanut breeding lines were grown without fungicide applications for leaf spot control and cuttings were made to evaluate forage production. Two forage cuttings were compared to a single cutting or harvest for each genotype. Pod yields were taken at the end of each season. Some lines produced dry matter forage yields exceeding 9000 kg ha-1 with two cuttings, with some single harvest yields exceeding 7000 kg ha-1. Significant differences were observed among genotypes, years, and forage harvest treatments. Two cuttings always produced the greatest forage yield but reduced pod yields as much as 50% for some entries. Some genotypes produced pod yields of 400...