USA PeanutsUSA Peanuts

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

U S pean ts a e plated afte the last f ost• U.S. peanuts are plated after the last frostin April or May when soil temperaturesreach 65-70ºF (20ºC).

• Pre-planting tillage ensure a well-preparedseedbed.

Certified peanut seeds are planted 4-5cmdeep, one every 5-10cm in the SE and SW,deep, o e e e y 5 0c t e S a d S ,and 10-15cm in the V-C area.

The row spacing is determined to a largep g gextent by the type of planting andharvesting equipment used.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• Peanut seedlings crack the soil about 10days after planting and grow into greenoval-leafed plants about 45cm talloval leafed plants about 45cm tall.

A climate with 200 frost-free days isrequired for a good crop.

Farmers may utilise irrigation in an effort tod t d d th hi h treduce crop stress and produce the highest

quality peanuts.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• Peanuts flower about 30 days after planting and continue toproduce flowers over a 90-120 day period, resulting inpeanuts maturing at different rates on the plant.

Once the flowers pollinatethemselves, the petals fall off asthe peanut ovary begins to form.

This budding ovary, called a ’peg’, grows away from theplant on a vine and penetrates the soil to become apeanut.A th l t d i t diff t ti th As the plant produces ovaries at different times, thepeanuts growing beneath the ground mature at differentrates, as can be seen here.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• The peanut is a nitrogen-fixing plant. Its rootsform nodules that absorb nitrogen from the airand provide enrichment and nutrition to the plantand provide enrichment and nutrition to the plantand soil.

Integrated pest management is utilisedin order to control weeds, diseases andinsects.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• From planting to harvesting, the growing cycletakes about 4-5 months, depending on the typeor variety.

The peanut harvesting process occurs intwo stages Digging which is the firsttwo stages. Digging, which is the first,begins when about 70% of the pods havereached maturity.

Harvesting peanuts at the peak of theirg p pmaturity is necessary to reap the fullestpeanut flavour possible.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• A digger proceeds along the rows of plants,driving a horizontal blade 10-15cm underthe soil loosens the soil and cuts the tapthe soil, loosens the soil and cuts the taproot.

Behind the blade, a shaker lifts the plantfrom the soil, gently shakes the earth fromthe peanuts, rotates the plant and lays theplant back down in ‘windrow’, peanuts upand leaves down. When dug, peanutscontain 25-50% moisture which must becontain 25 50% moisture which must bereduced for safe storage.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• The inverted peanuts are left to dry in the field for2 or more days until they reach the appropriatemoist e contentmoisture content.

The peanuts are now ready for the secondphase of harvesting – threshing, or combining.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

A combine sweeps over thewindrows. The combine lifts theplants, separates the peanutsf th i bl th i tfrom the vine, blows them into ahopper on top of the machine and lays the vineback down in the field. The vines are returned tothe field to improve soil fertility and organic matterthe field to improve soil fertility and organic matter.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• Freshly harvested peanut pods areFreshly harvested peanut pods aretransferred to drying wagons andtaken to buying points for furtherdrying. Forced hot air is slowlyi l t d th h th d icirculated through the drying

wagons. In the curing process,moisture content is reduced to 8-10% for safe storage.10% for safe storage.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• After curing, the peanuts are inspected andgraded to establish quality and value of theproduct. This is done by the Agriculturalp y gMarketing Service of the US Department ofAgriculture at buying stations or shelling plants.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• After grading, the peanuts aremoved to bulk warehouses forstorage prior to shelling. Newtechnologies such as dome-technologies such as dome-shaped warehouses are helpingto maintain the quality of thepeanuts.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• After grading, peanuts are eithercleaned for sale as inshellcleaned for sale as inshellpeanuts, or shelled for furtherprocessing. During the shellingprocess the peanuts are cleaned( il i t d) d(soil, vines etc are removed) andthen de-hulled using perforatedgrates before being sorted intomarket grades. High-speeda et g ades g speedelectronic colour sortingmachines eliminate discolouredor defective kernels.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

• US Peanuts are the onlycommodity to be acceptedby the EU for pre-exportt ti tifi ti ttesting certification atorigin. Rigorous aflatoxintesting is conduced in theUS prior to shipment ofUS prior to shipment ofgoods to ensure thatproducts meet the EUspecifications, resulting inf f t t i tfar fewer tests on importinto the EU and thusensuring quicker transittimes to manufacturers.times to manufacturers.

Growing and Harvesting Peanuts

Th US t i d t ti• The US peanut industry continuesto invest in innovative ways tocontrol humidity and storagetemperature, and has dedicatedtemperature, and has dedicatedcold storage facilities to helpmaintain the best tasting peanutsfor our customers.