2020 Virtual Perennial Peanut Field Day

Ann Blount, Cheryl Mackowiak, Sunny Liao, Jose Dubeux, Kelly Thomas, Jung-Chen Liu, Victor Guerra, Adesuwa Erhunmwunse, Valerie Mendez, and Doug Mayo, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center Forage Team

For the past several years the Perennial Peanut Producers Association, and UF/IFAS Extension have partnered to host a summer field day at UF/IFAS research stations in North Florida.  This year the plan was to host the group at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC), Quincy, Florida in late May.  Due to the COVID19 pandemic, it was not feasible to host an in-person event.  However, the NFREC Forage Team wanted to share their ongoing work on perennial peanut and related forage issues through videos from the field:

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Perennial Peanut for Ornamental Turf or Ground Cover

Researchers at the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center, near Quincy, Florida are evaluating 12 lines of perennial peanut, Arachis glabrata for use in urban landscapes as turf or ground cover. Dr. Ann Blount, UF/IFAS Forage Breeder and Kelly Thomas, UF Agroecology graduate student, share highlights of their current research project.

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Perennial Peanut Forage Variety Research Tour

Ann Blount, UF/IFAS Forage Breeder, provides a video tour of the perennial peanut variety research plots at UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC), Quincy, Florida. She shares comparisons of the currently recommended varieties with the standard Florigraze, which is the primary variety grown commercially for premium quality livestock hay.

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Contributions of Perennial Peanut to Pasture Soil Health

Jung-Chen (JC) Liu, a graduate student in University of Florida’s Soil & Water Sciences Department (advisor Dr. Cheryl Mackowiak), shares highlights of her research at the North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy Florida. She is evaluating the contributions of different perennial peanut varieties and bahiagrass on soil health indicators.

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Interaction of Beneficial Soil Fungi with Forage Roots

Victor Guerra, PhD Student in UF Soil & Water Sciences Department, (advisor Dr. Cheryl Mackowiak) shares highlights of his research project examining the interaction of beneficial fungi and bacteria with forage crop roots. These organisms aid forage plants with water and nutrient availability and uptake.

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Reducing Pasture Fertilizer Costs by Incorporating Perennial Peanut

Adesuwa Erhunmwunse, University of Florida PhD Student in the Soil & Water Sciences Department (advisor Dr. Sunny Liao), shares highlights of her research project comparing different perennial peanut cultivars to determine which ones can contribute the highest level of nitrogen when incorporated in bahiagrass pastures. Her work will provide insight into management strategies for using legumes in grass based pastures to reduce nitrogen fertilizer costs.

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Endophytes in Florida Forages & Potential Mycotoxin Issues

Doug Mayo, Jackson County Extension Director, and Valerie Mendez, Masters Student, University of Florida’s Soil & Water Sciences Department (advisor Dr. Sunny Liao), provide an overview of a research project in Florida. Forage grasses on 14 Florida ranches are being sampled and evaluated for endophyte fungi that produce mycotoxins to determine if they might be causing performance issues in livestock.

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Use the following links to publications that would have been included in the proceedings that provide more information on these topics:

Guide to Using Rhizomal Perennial Peanut in the Urban Landscape

Rhizoma Perennial Peanut

Perennial Peanut: Forage Nutritional Composition and Feeding Value

Weed Control in Perennial Peanut

Strip-Planting Rhizoma Peanut into Grazing Systems

Integrating Perennial Peanut into Grass Pastures

Overseeding Perennial Peanut with Cool-Season Forages

Tools for Evaluating Soil Health

Mycotoxins in Florida Pastures

Florida Pasture Endophyte and Mycotoxin Update (2019)

Are Endophytes and Mycotoxins in Florida Forages Affecting Cattle Performance? (2018)

UF/IFAS Researchers are Studying Endophytes in Florida Pasture Grasses (2017)

Perennial Peanut Producers Association Web Site

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