VA-C 92R is anexcellent yielding variety with good grade and value per acre, however, it has a tendency for dark pod color. We expect acreage of VA-C 92R to continue to decline as newer high yielding varieties such as VA 98R with better pod color become available. In 1999 the new variety VA 98R was planted on 11 percent of the acreage of our County Champions. In the next few years we expect that acreage devoted to VA 98R and the newly released variety Perry to increase substantially. Most of our County Champions list timeliness of management practices to be a critical detail of the peanut production programs.
Special mention is noted for both the timeliness of planting and harvest.
In 1999 many of the Champions began planting the last week of April and all but one of the reporting growers completed planting by May 8. Timeliness in pest management is another factor highlighted by most County yield Champions. Use of disease advisory programs and timely use of postemergence herbicides play a key role in the success of many of these growers. A majority of growers reported that effective thrips management required the use of both an in-furrow insecticide and foliar insecticidetreatment in 1999. Most yield winners mention the importance of crop rotation as a significant contribution to their success.