Effect of Soil Type, Soil Calcium, and Gypsum Application Rate On Pod Yield and Grade of Large and Medium Seed-Sized Peanut Cultivars.

Calcium availability in the 0-7.62cm soil depth limits peanut yield and grade in the southeastern United States. Field experiments were conducted at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, GA (CPES) and the Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center, Plains, GA (SWREC)  to determine large (Georgia-06G) and medium seeded (Georgia Greener) runner-type cultivar response to gypsum application. Experiments were conducted in a randomized split block design with 4 replications with cultivar as the main factor and gypsum (CaSO₄) application rate as the sub factor. Gypsum was applied at 4 rates (0, 560, 1120, 1650 kg/ ha) (0, 500, 1000, 1500 lb/A) with pegging zone Calcium levels of 234 mg/kg at SWREC and 287 mg/kg at CPES. Pod yield of each plot and grade of each plot were recorded.  Cultivar had no effect on pod yield (P= 0.48). Average yield for each cultivar pooled over gypsum rates and location were 6729 kg/ha for Georgia-06G and 6574 kg/ha for Georgia Greener.  Gypsum rate had no effect on yield (P= 0.80) Pod yield in response to each gypsum rate when pooled across cultivar and location were 6560, 6523, 6771, 6750 kg/ha for 0, 560, 1120, 1650 kg/ ha gypsum applied. Additionally, the interaction between cultivar and gypsum application rate had no effect (P= 0.72).