Perennial Peanut as a Potential Living Mulch and Nitrogen Source for Citrus and Other Orchard Crops in Florida

Muhammad Shahid , K. Leaks, A. Blount, andCheryl Mackowiak

Release Date: 11/1/2023

Reviewed At: 9/23/2026

DOI: 10.32473/EDIS-hs1474-2023

Agriculture

Abstract

The concept of using a perennial peanut as a living mulch and source of biological nitrogen in fruit and nut crop orchards is not a new idea. In Central and South America, perennial peanuts have long been incorporated as a living groundcover into palm, coffee, cacao, plantain, and citrus, as well as into other fruit and nut production orchards. This cover crop may pose as a viable, environmentally-friendly option for production in Florida, too.

About this Publication

This document is HS1474, one of a series of the UF/IFAS Department of Horticultural Sciences. Original publication date November 2023. Visit the Ask IFAS website at https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/ for the currently supported version of this publication.

How to Cite

Shahid, M. A., Leaks, K., Blount, A. R., & Mackowiak, C. (2023). Perennial Peanut as a Potential Living Mulch and Nitrogen Source for Citrus and Other Orchard Crops in Florida. EDIS, 2023(6). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-hs1474-2023

Authors

Muhammad Shahid

Contact

Specialist

University of Florida

assistant professor, stress physiology of fruit crops, Department of Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

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K. Leaks

staff

University of Florida

agriculture and food scientist I, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Tallahassee, FL

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A. Blount

Specialist

University of Florida

professor emeritus and courtesy forage breeding & management Extension specialist, Department of Agronomy, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

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Cheryl Mackowiak

Specialist

University of Florida

associate professor and Extension specialist, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center

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Publication #HS1474