Intrarow Seed Spacing Effects on Morphological Characteristics, Yield, Grade and Net Value of Five Peanut Cultivars1

Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) producers in the Virginia-Carolina production area have not adopted row spacings closer than the conventional 91.4 cm. Seeding rates at this row width must be adequate, but not excessive, to maximize net value. With the recent development of new cultivars with different growth habits, this study was conducted to determine the effect of intrarow seed spacing on morphological characteristics, yield, grade, gross value, and net value for five cultivars currently available to growers. The cultivars Florigiant, NC 6, NC 7, Virginia 81 Bunch (VA 81B), and NC 9 were seeded at intrarow spacings of 5.1, 7.6, 10.2, and 15.2 cm in a 3-year field study at the Tidewater Agricultural Experiment Station, Suffolk, Virginia, from 1984 to 1986. Plots consisted of two rows 3.0 m long with interrow spacing of 91.4 cm for all treatments. A split plot design with five replications was used. Generally, main stems were taller and cotyledonary lateral branches were longer with closer intrarow...