Development of an ENSO-based irrigation decision support tool for peanut production in the southeastern US

Available climate information can be used by growers to assess different scenarios and alternative management strategies. An irrigation decision support tool for peanut production was developed to provide probability distributions of the seasonal cost to irrigate peanuts under different El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts. Yields were simulated for both irrigated and rainfed peanuts using the CSM-CROPGRO-Peanut model. The tool was used to examine the effects of different planting dates, soil types, and climate forecasts. Results of a case study are presented for the Georgia Green variety grown in Miller County, Georgia. The probability of obtaining a high net return under irrigated conditions increased when planting dates were delayed for El Nino years. Dryland peanut production was profitable in a La Nina year if peanuts were planted between mid-April and early May. The peanut irrigation decision support tool will be deployed as a web-based tool on the AgClimate web site (www.agclimate.org). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.