Minimum tillage and no-till systems have become very attractive as conservation measures and a means to reduce the cost of crop production. Interest in minimum tillage practices in peanut has increased dramatically in recent years across the southeastern U.S. Many of the benefits and disadvantages of minimum tillage in terms of disease management remain to be determined in peanut production. However, a growing database indicates that use of minimum tillage in peanut results in lower incidence of spotted wilt as compared to conventional tillage. The change to minimum tillage presents a myriad of new interactions for the host, vector and environment which probably account for a reduction in spotted wilt incidence. Lower thrips populations have been reported in no-till peanuts compared to conventional tillage peanuts, and less feeding injury by thrips has been reported for peanut produced with minimum tillage compared to conventional tillage. As with a twin-row pattern, the general change in architecture of the crop and environment due to the presence of stubble and/or debris from the previous crop may interfere with visual detection of host plants by migrating thrips.

As with row patterns, the decision to produce peanuts with a minimum tillage or no-till system should not be based solely on suppression of spotted wilt epidemics. However, these tillage practices can help to minimize incidence of spotted wilt where they are compatible with the grower's production system and economically feasible.