Pod yield and stem rot evaluation of peanut cultivars treated with tebuconazole

Tebuconazole [alpha-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-alpha-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol] has been registered by the U,S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production as a new sterol-inhibiting fungicide, under the trade name Folicur 3,6F, It is labeled to be used as four consecutive sprays between two applications of non-sterol-inhibiting fungicides for control of Phaeoisariopsis personata (Perk, & M.A. Curtis) Arx [syn. Cercosporidium personatum (Perk, & M.A. Curtis) Deighton], Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc,, and Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, The combination of such new fungicides with improved peanut cultivars could be very beneficial for integrated pest management (IPM) practices. In 1992 to 1994, yield tests were conducted at the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station following recommended applications of tebuconazole to determine which 10 runner-type and 6 virginia-type peanut cultivars had the highest pod yield and the lowest incidence of southern stem rot or white mold caused by S. rolfsii when grown with and without irrigation, Stem rot incidence was approximately twice as high in the irrigated as in the nonirrigated tests, and the highest incidence of stem rot was observed in the gear with the greatest frequency of irrigation, The Georgia Browne and Georgia Green cultivars had the greatest yields and lowest stem rot incidence among the runner types, and Georgia Green had the greatest dollar value of all cultivars under both irrigated and nonirrigated conditions, Among the virginia types, NC 10C consistently had the highest incidence of stem rot over all 3 yr, and NC 7, VA-C 92R, and NC-V 11 had the greatest yields, These results show that certain runner and virginia-type peanut cultivars perform significantly better than others using the current recommended application of tebuconazole.