Influence of Digging Date on Yield and Gross Return of Virginia-type Peanut Cultivars in North Carolina

Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) growers must balance complex interactions among cultivars, planting dates, environmental and physiological stresses during the growing season, and weather conditions at harvest when determining when to dig peanut. Ten field experiments were conducted in North Carolina from 1994 through 1996 to determine the influence of digging date on pod yield and gross return of virginia-type peanut. Beginning in mid- to late September, the cultivars NC 9, NC 10C, NCV-11, VA-C 92R, AgraTech (AT) VC-1, and NC 12C were dug on four dates approximately 7 d apart. Considerable variation in pod yield and gross return was noted among cultivars and experiments. Delaying digging increased pod yield and gross return in some but not all experiments. Greater variation in pod yield and gross return was observed for NC 10C than for AT VC-1 when compared across digging dates. Pod yield and gross return for NC9, NC V-11, VA-C 92R, and NC 12C were intermediate between NC 10C and AT VC-1. Of the cul...