What are the Cultural Management Practices for Peanut in the Region?
Land Preparation
· Peanut requires a well-prepared field for good seed emergence. Thorough land preparation is also necessary for proper development of pods and effective weed control.
· Plow and harrow the field 2-3 times at an interval of 7 days. Each harrowing should consist of two passes.
· The frequency of plowing and harrowing depends on soil type, weed population, and land utilization during the previous season. Clay loam soils with low weed population.
· Just before planting, set furrows at a distance of 40-50 cm during the dry season and 50-60 cm during the wet season at 15-20 cm between hills.
· Furrow when the soil has the right moisture for planting. Soil has the right moisture when it does not stick to the plow during the operation.
Liming
Acidic soil with pH below 5.8 is not profitable for peanut production. This can be corrected by liming. Table 1 indicates the lime adjustments for soil with pH below 6.0.
Table 1. Lime adjustment of soil pH *.
|
Initial pH |
Sandy |
Sandy Loam |
Loam |
Silt and Clay Loam |
Clay |
|
4.0 |
2.0 |
3. |
4.5 |
6.0 |
7.5 |
|
4.5 |
1.5 |
2.5 |
3.2 |
4.2 |
5.2 |
|
5.0 |
1.0 |
1.5 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
5.0 |
|
5.5 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.8 |
0.9 |
2.0 |
*Amount of ground limestone needed (t/ha) to bring soil to pH 6.0.
· One to two months before planting, apply the required amount of lime then plow under.
· While very acidic soils cannot be corrected immediately, apply gradually (split application for 3-4 years) the required amount of lime.
· Where lime is not needed, apply 200-300 kg/ha of calcium sulfate (gypsum land plaster) as side dress near the base of the plants at peak flowering followed by light cultivation or hand-weeding to ensure incorporation into the soil and production of fully developed pods.
· Ensure that the gypsum does not fall on the leaves to avoid leaf burning.
· Do not apply lime together with fertilizers to avoid unfavorable chemical reactions.
Inoculation
· Peanut seeds must be inoculated with Rhizobia (Bradyrhizobium spp.) to enable the plant to form root nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
· Rhizobia are responsible for converting atmosphere nitrogen to a form available to the plant.
· This practice cuts down production cost by reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers:
1. Place the seeds in a basin or any suitable containers big enough for easy mixing. Do not use woven basket.
2. Moisten the seeds with a glass of water.
3. Pour one pack (100 g) peanut strain rhizobium inoculants for every 10 kg moistened seeds. Mix thoroughly until all the seeds are coated with inoculants. Inoculate seeds under shade. Do not exposed inoculated seed to sunlight.
4. Plant inoculated seeds immediately.
Fertilization application
· For best results, the kind and amount of fertilizer to be applied should be based on soil analysis (see topic on liming).
· Peanut responds well to residual soil fertilizer from previous crop particularly heavily fertilized corn. Thus, fertilize well the preceding crop to ensure favorable amount of residual fertilizers.
· For nutrient-deficient soils, apply 2-3 bags of complete fertilizer (14-14-14 or 16-20-0) per hectare (general recommendation). This is applied at the bottom of the furrows. To prevent soil injury, cover the fertilizer with 2-3 cm of fine soil before seed sowing.
Table 2. Estimated nutrients required to produce selected pod yields of groundnut.
|
Pod Yield (t/ha) |
(in kg/ha) |
|||||||||
|
N |
P |
K |
Ca |
Mg |
S |
Fe |
Mn |
Zn |
B |
|
|
1 |
58 |
5 |
18 |
11 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
0.09 |
0.08 |
0.05 |
|
2 |
117 |
10 |
36 |
23 |
18 |
9 |
4 |
0.19 |
0.16 |
0.11 |
|
3 |
174 |
15 |
54 |
34 |
27 |
13 |
6 |
0.29 |
0.24 |
0.16 |
|
4 |
323 |
20 |
73 |
45 |
36 |
18 |
8 |
0.38 |
0.32 |
0.22 |
|
5 |
290 |
25 |
91 |
56 |
45 |
22 |
10 |
0.48 |
0.41 |
0.27 |
|
6 |
348 |
30 |
109 |
68 |
54 |
26 |
12 |
0.58 |
0.49 |
0.33 |
|
7 |
406 |
35 |
126 |
77 |
63 |
30 |
14 |
0.68 |
0.56 |
0.38 |
|
8 |
464 |
40 |
144 |
88 |
72 |
34 |
16 |
0.78 |
0.64 |
0.44 |
|
9 |
522 |
45 |
162 |
99 |
81 |
38 |
18 |
0.88 |
0.72 |
0.49 |
|
10 |
580 |
50 |
180 |
110 |
90 |
42 |
20 |
0.98 |
0.80 |
0.54 |
*Calculations based on Sahrawat, KL, Srivinas Rao, B and Nambiar, PTC, 1988. Plant and Soil 109:291-293.
Planting
· Plant peanut seeds using the hill or drill method.
· In the hill method, plant seeds at the rate of 2-3 hill at a distance of 10-15 cm during the dry season and 15-20 cm during the wet season.
· With the drill method, plant 18-20 seeds/linear meter during the dry season and 10-15 seeds/linear meter during the wet season.
· Distribute the seeds uniformly in the furrows.
· Both methods require 100-115 kg of shelled peanut per hectare (140-165 kg unshelled) during the dry season and 60-80 kg shelled peanut (86-125 kg unshelled) during the wet season.
· Use small to medium sized seeds for planting to ensure early and uniform germination.