194 THE PEANUT— THE UNPREDICTABLE LEGUME 



is available. In tests conducted at Auburn ( 19) , seed shelled and treated 

 9 weeks before planting have produced stands as good as those shelled 

 and treated 1 day before planting. These tests have been in progress for 

 3 years. In no instance has there been any significant difference in the 

 stands obtained from seeds shelled on the different dates and treated im- 

 mediately. The results given in table 23 were obtained in 1946 ; they are 

 in agreement with those obtained in earlier years in other tests. 



After the seed are shelled and treated, they should be stored in a dry 

 place. Under such conditions they will keep for several months. Seed 

 shelled, treated and stored in screened cages at Auburn have germinated 

 as well IS months after shelling as they did at the time they were 

 shelled. Usually, though, it is impractical to carry treated seed over from 

 one year to another because of web-worms that get into seed. 



The method used to apply the disinfectant will depend upon the 

 volume of seed to be treated. Whatever method is used, it should insure 

 uniform distribution of the disinfectant over every seed. For best results 

 each seed should be coated with a film of the chemical dust. Some dis- 

 infectants will vaporize, and the vapors that enter the sack of seed will 

 kill the disease-producing organisms on the seed. However, such seed 

 will become recontaminated as soon as they are placed in the ground, 

 unless they are covered with a protective coating of the disinfectant. 

 Thorough coverage is especially important on machine-shelled seed to 

 prevent entrance of seed-rotting organisms through breaks in the seed 

 coat. 



INOCULATION 



Inoculation of peanuts with strains of nitrogen-fixing bacteria has 

 given varied and inconsistent results. Consequently, many stations do not 

 recommend use of artificial inoculation. Apparently, many soils carry the 

 necessary nodule bacteria for this crop. Hence, artificial inoculation 

 rarely has much effect on yield. 



Small increases were obtained by the Alabama Station (1) from the 

 use of inoculation the first year that peanuts were grown in localities 

 where the crop was not generally grown. The average results of tests 

 conducted on Norfolk soil at different locations in 1940 and 1941 are 

 giveji in table 29. The data show that the effect of inoculation on Spanish 

 peanuts was much accentuated by the use of mineral fertilizers applied 

 in the drill before planting. Also, fertilizers were more effective on this 

 soil in the presence of inoculation. It was observed that the plants that 

 grew on the fertilized plots carried substantially more tubercles than the 

 plants on the unfertilized plots. 



