Production Technology of Groundnut Introduction Groundnut is an

Production Technology of Groundnut

Introduction Groundnut is an important cash crop in barani areas of upper Punjab and parts of KPK In Sindh, it is grown under irrigated conditions About 92 % of the total groundnut area lies in Punjab, 5% in KPK and 3 % in Sindh During 2009 -10, the total area under groundnut was 97, 500 hactres with the production of 104, 000 tons and average yield of 1067 Kg/ha

Plant description B. N. Arachis hypogaea Family Leguminosae Annual plant Self pollinated Flowers are bright yellow and quite pretty Feather type leaves Fruit contain 2 -5 seeds depending on variety Stem is circular with fine hairs and short internodes Tap root system

Economic Importance Oil seed crop contains oil 44 -56% Cooking agent, paint, varnish, lubricating oil, soap, furniture polish etc Protein content 22 -30% On equal weight basis (Kg for Kg), groundnuts contain more protein than meat and about two and a half times more than eggs In addition to protein good source of Ca, P, Fe, Zn and B Consumed directly in roasted form Contain vitamin E and vita. B complex Bakery products

Soil and climate: well drained, coarse textured and sandy loam soil clay soil may result in crust formation and the pegs may not be able to penetrate into the soil for fruiting p. H 6 -6. 5 Warm climate crop 25 C for germination Can be successfully grown in areas where 250 -300 mm rainfall during April-september.

Land Preparation : Deep tillage with Mouldboard plough in early to mid February This operation preserves the moisture from subsequent rains Moouldboard plough should be followed by disc or harrow to level and pack the soil

Fertilizer application Organic fertilizers: FYM should be applied about one month before sowing and incorporated properly in the soil. Chemical fertilizers: N: P: K 30 : 80 : 30 Kg/ha If soil is more sandy , 40 -kg K/ha is recommended

. Gypsum Application 400 -500 kg/ha just at beginning time of monsoon season In more sandy soils higher rates of gypsum are required due to increased leaching

Variety selection Two types of groundnut varieties, spreading (runner) and erect or bunchy types are widely grown in Pakistan

variety Yield potential (Kg/ha) Maturity duration (days) BARI- 2000 (Semi-bunch) 3500 160 -170 BARD-479 (Semispreading) 4000 180 -190 GOLDEN(semi bunch) 3500 140 -150 Late planting after wheat Chakori (Bunch) 3600 170 -180 BARI-89 (Spreading) 4000 180 -190 Swat Phali (Bunch) 3800 170 -180

Seed Rate Spreading and semi spreading types: 75 – 80 kg / ha (167, 000 plants) Bunch and semi bunch types: 95 -100 kg / ha (220, 000 plants) Seed Inoculation: Seed inoculation is done before planting with efficient rhizobium strain to obtain higher yield

Shelling Methods Electric sheller hand shelling

Sowing Time Mostly planted in fallow lands from end March to end April It can also be planted in May and June after wheat harvesting optimum planting time in Punjab is April and in Sindh is May Under irrigated conditions it is planted in early March and harvested in August

Planting Method Line sowing kerra and pora method Seed depth in light soil is usually 4 -6 inches and in heaviour soil 2 -4 inches Groundnut Planter

Planting Geometry: For bunch, semi bunch varieties R*R =45 cm and P*P =10 cm On sandy soils (in low rainfall zones) plant to plant spacing should be increased to 15 cm For Spreading and semi spreading type varieties : R*R =60 cm and P*P = 10 cm in sandy soils or medium to low rainfall zones, plant spacing within rows should be 15 cm

Plant and Row Spacing

Pegging

Irrigation Under irrigated conditions Rouni irrigation First irrigation 3 to 4 weeks of sowing 2 nd at flowering 3 rd at peg formation 4 th at pod development 5 th about one month before digging

Weed Control Cultural Control: These operations should be completed before peg formation Chemical Control: Fusilade (Fluazifop P-Butyl) a selective (postemergence herbicide) @ 1 -2 liter/ ha

Insects and Diseases Termites, Cutworm, Red hairy Caterpillar early leaf spot and late leaf spot are prevalent and common diseases in Pakistan

Continue… Peanut Bud Narcosis and Peanut Clump Virus

Vertebrate pests Rat, wild boars, porcupine, desert hares and crows. Porcupine Wild boar desert hare

Harvesting Early digging results in lower maturity and lower yield Late digging results in more leftover losses in the soil and high digging cost due to dry and hard soil Digging should be stared when 70 -75 percent pods are mature

Tractor mounted digger

Threshing Manual threshing For this purpose, a PTO driven FMI thresher, commercially available

Drying and Curing sun drying for about 6 -8 days to maintain the desirable flavor and quality At the time of digging, pods contain about 40 -50 % moisture which should be reduced to 8 -10 % by curing for safe storage

Sun drying and storage

Reasons for low groundnut yield Low plant population because of: High cost of seed Lake of optimum moisture at sowing non-adoption of seed treatment against seed- borne diseases 2. Cultivated in marginal and poor soils of low fertility status: 3. Farmers rarely apply fertilizers fearing crop loss due to failure of rains 1. A) B) C)

Continue…… 4. Multi nutrient deficiencies 5. No irrigation facilities to protect the crop from soil moisture deficit 6. Neglected weed, insect pests and disease control 7. Lack of adaptability of new techniques and machinery