Seeding Rate, Irrigation, and Cultivar Effects on Tomato Spotted Wilt, Rust, and Southern Blight Diseases of Peanut1

Abstract Tomato spotted wilt virus has been the cause of an important peanut disease in southwestern Texas since the mid-1980s. Following observations of elevated disease incidence associated with poor stands, high seeding rates were recommended to reduce risks of spotted wilt. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship of spotted wilt incidence to seeding rate and irrigation. Whether the management of rust (Puccinia arachidis Speg.) and southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.) would be affected by seeding rate and irrigation was a secondary objective. Two runner peanut cultivars, GK-7 and Southern Runner, were planted in 1992 and 1993 in single rows with a precision planter at 8, 12, and 22 seeds m−2 and irrigated with amounts ranging from a season total of 0 to 760 mm. Spotted wilt (30.5-cm-loci with symptoms) at digging differed significantly for GK-7 and Southern Runner in 1992 (29 vs. 20%) and 1993 (23 vs. 16%). The seeding rate of either cultivar did not significantly af...