Alabama ranks third in peanut production in the United States behind Georgia and Texas, harvesting an average of more than 400 million pounds of peanuts annually, which generates more than $100 million per year for the Alabama economy.

Alabama producers planted 155,000 acres of peanuts in the state in 2009. Of the 704 peanut operations in Alabama, most were located in Houston, Baldwin, Henry, Geneva, Coffee, Dale and Escambia counties.

AAES scientists continue to study improved farming methods and peanut quality and to develop pesticides and fungicides to combat threats to peanut crops.

Researchers at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland are currently working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Peanut Research Laboratory on new genetic breeding and seed-pod engineering.

Disease control studies take place at Brewton Agricultural Research Unit, E.V. Smith Plant Breeding Unit and the Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center.

Publications

• The 2010 Alabama Performance Comparison of Peanut Varieties (WREC)
• Peanut Disease Control Field Trials, 2010: Experimental Fungicide & Cultivar Trials (GCREC, WREC)
• Peanut Disease Control Field Trials, 2010: Standard Fungicide Trial (BARU, EVSRC-PBU, GCREC, WREC)
• 2009 AU Crops: Grain Crops and Peanuts Research Report (GCREC)