Groundnut (Moongfali)

Scientific Name: Arachis hypogaea          Family: Fabaceae

Common Names: Peanut, Earthnut

One of the most important seed crop, is extensively grown in India. The kernels of Groundnut contain almost 45% oil and 25 % protein. These are also good source of Vitamin B and E. It was originated in Brazil, South America. In India, it is mostly grown in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Seasons:

Groundnut is cultivated in basically 4 seasons: Kharif, Rabi, Summer and Spring

Varieties:

TG – 1: It is also known as Vikram variety of groundnut and is cultivated throughout the country. The estimated yield is 20-25 Quintals/ha. It is a late maturing variety with bold pod & profuse branching. The seeds contain 46.5 % of oil & shelling out turn is 68%.

TG – 17: This variety is best suited for cultivation in Maharashtra for summer season. The yield of this variety is 20-27 quintals per hectare. The seed are light pink in color and contain 49% of oil. The fresh seed dormancy is observed to be up to 30 days. The shelling percentage is 69.

Kadiri 3: This variety was specifically released for Andhra Pradesh but now is spread to whole country. It takes 100- 110 days for maturity. The average yield is estimated to be 17 – 20 quintals per hectare. The plants are usually smaller in size and the pods are smooth & short, present near the root zone and can be easily uprooted by hands. It is also suitable for summer season.

Soil Requirement:

• Groundnut grows best in well drained sandy and sandy-loam soils while clayey soils are not suitable for this crop.

• pH requirement- 6.0 - 7.5

Weather Requirements:

• Optimum Temperature for rapid emergence germination and seedling development is 26-30 degrees Celsius.

• Adequate and well distributed rainfall is required during the growing season, especially during flowering, pegging and pod formation. Groundnut grows best in areas receiving 600 – 1500 mm of rainfall.

• Groundnut cannot withstand extreme frost, drought or water stagnation.

Field Preparation:

• One ploughing with soil turning plough followed by 2 harrowing is advisable to achieve a good surface tilth of up to 12-18 cm depth.

• Apply FYM or compost @5 tons per hectare and incorporate it before sowing.

Seed treatment:

• The seeds of groundnut must be given a treatment with either Thiram @ 3g/kg of seeds, Mancozeb @ 3g/kg of seeds or Carbendazim @ 2g/kg of seeds.

• There after the seeds are inoculated with Chlorphyriphos 20EC @ 25 ml/kg of seeds to control the white grubs.

Sowing:

• Sowing is usually done at the onset of monsoon. but under irrigated condition the sowing should be done during the last week of May or in first week of June with the pre-monsoon shower.

• For Rabi crops the sowing operations are carried out in the month of September to December while the summer crop is sown in January - February & spring crop is sown during the second fortnight of February to first week of March.

• This crop can be sown through various methods such as seed drill/ dibbling or behind the country plough.

Seed spacing and Seed rate:

Manures and Fertilizers:

• An application of 20-40 kg nitrogen is required per hectare during the initial stages and 40 kg each of phosphorous and potassium in the furrows before sowing and mix with the soil so that seeds do not come in direct contact with fertilizer. Phosphorous should be applied in the form of single super phosphate (SSP) which would meet the requirement of the crop i.e. 30kg/ha.

• Application of Gypsum @ 250 kg/ha at 20-25 DAS in recommended.

Irrigation schedule:

• The first irrigation should be applied before sowing and the subsequent irrigations are provided at 10-15 days interval depending upon the soil and weather requirements.

• The critical Stages for irrigation are flowering, pegging and pod formation.

Intercultural operations: 

The first weeding should be done at 3-4 weeks after sowing. Subsequent weeding should be done whenever needed. Alternatively, we can apply weedicides like Pendimethalin or Metachlor as pre emergence spray

Harvesting:

• The prominent symptoms of maturity are yellowing of foliage, spotting of leaves and dropping of old leaves.

• The yield potential of spreading type varieties are 1500 to 2000 kg/ha and that of bunch type variety is 1000- 1500 kg/ha.

Post harvest Operations:

The pods must contain moisture less than 9% and Kernels 8% as higher moisture level in the produce are congenial for the production of aflatoxin which causes lever cancer.