Effects of Boron Fertilization on Peanut Seed Germination Tested in a Lab Field (TM) Table

EFFECTS OF BORON FERTILIZATION ON PEANUT SEED GERMINATION TESTED IN A LAB FIELD TABLE Benton A.1, Balota M.1, Welbaum G. E.2 1 Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, 2 Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA Contact: Greg Welbaum, welbaum@vt.edu Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop for eastern Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC) where it thrives in sandy soils. Boron (B) is not retained in these soils, and seeds with <13mg kg-1 B may have hollow heart and reduced seed quality. Therefore, B is routinely applied as fertilizer regardless of soil test results to prevent deficiencies in peanut seed crops but may contribute to water pollution. A mixture of two market types and newer and older cultivars of peanuts were fertilized with 0, 0.6, 1.1kg ha-1 B at the Tidewater Agriculture Research and Extension Center. Seeds were germinated in sand on a Lab Field table to simulate soil conditions in Eastern VA and NC fields. The peanuts were hand planted on the Lab Field table maintained at a constant sand temperature of 25°C. Mean time to germination (MTG) and germination percentage were recorded to compare treatments. There were no differences in MTG or germination percentage between fertilized and unfertilized plants, market types, or newer and older commercial cultivars on the Lab Field table. Based on this research, B fertilization in the VA and NC production region is not necessary to produce a high quality vigorous peanut seed. The Lab Field table was an effective tool for testing germination under simulated field conditions.