Name – Aniket Gavekar
Sub Name – Market Intelligence
Name of Commodity – Groundnut
Overview - Groundnut, popularly known as
the peanut is a leguminous crop cultivated
for edible purposes. It is found exclusively in
tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
It is sometimes considered as a grain
legume because the seed can produce oil
and the crop is categorized as an oil crop.
The oil content in the seed is estimated to
be around 44-50%.
Scope and Importance of Groundnut
Farming
Among the oilseed crops grown in India,
groundnut holds the first place. The annual
production of groundnuts is around 7180.5
thousand tonnes approximately and 9 states
are considered to contribute more than 100
thousand tonnes each. The major groundnut
producing states in India are Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
and Telangana. Groundnut farming in India is
done in 85 lakh hectares of land
approximately and highest productivity is
from the state of Tamil Nadu. Oil seeds in
India definitely contribute to the agricultural
economy, but they are only next to food
grains in both value and production. The
importance of edible oil in one's daily diet
has resulted in increased demand for
groundnut production. It is estimated that
there would be further increase in
consumption levels owing to enhanced
income and population. Currently the
production doesn't satisfy the demand and
oil is being imported from other countries.
Therefore, efforts should be made to
increase the area under production for
groundnuts so that many by-products
manufactured from these could be made
available. Groundnut farming in India is also
expected to improve income opportunities
for the tribal population
Groundnut varieties in India
Kadiri: Kadiri-2 and Kadiri-3 are varieties
of groundnut grown in India
BG: BG-1 and BG-2 are varieties of
groundnut grown in India
Kuber: Kuber is a variety of groundnut
grown in India
GAUG: GAUG-1 and GAUG-10 are
varieties of groundnut grown in India
TG 37A: A Trombay groundnut variety
with rose-colored seeds
Mallika: A recommended variety of
groundnut for Delhi
JL 501: A recommended variety of
groundnut for Gujarat
HKW-70: Released in 2004, this variety is
recommended for summer cultivation in
Maharashtra. It has a high dry pod yield,
extra bold kernels, and is highly tolerant
to aflatoxin.
Phule-Unnati (RSRG-6083): Released in
2013, this variety is a Spanish bunch
type with medium height, dark green
leaves, and red kernels.
Phule warna (KDG 128): Released in
2013, this variety has a high yield.
Phule morna (KDG 123): Released in
2014, this variety has a high yield.
KDG 160: Released in 2017, this variety
has a high yield for the summer season
Plant and Produce Properties
Groundnut is considered to be a self
pollinated crop, which can grow to a
maximum height of 30 to 50 cm. The leaves
of the plant are opposite and pinnate. They
have four leaflets, each 1-7 cm long and 1-3
cm broad. The colour of groundnut plant
flower is yellowish orange with red veins,
generally grown in clusters and last for one
day. The pods of peanut or groundnut grow
underground and this feature is termed as
geocarpy. The base of the ovary has a short
stalk which elongates upon fertilization and
forms a thread like structure called the peg.
The peg grows inside the soil and the tip of
the ovary develops into a peanut pod. The
average length of a pod is 3-7 cm and may
contain 1 to 4 seeds. The groundnut has 5
parts; they are shell, cotyledons, seed coat,
radical and plumule.
Soil and Climatic Conditions for
Groundnut Farming
Groundnut plants need well drained sandy
loam or clay loam soil for better
performance. The soil should be deep and
the pH of the soil should be around 5.5 to 7
with high fertility index. It is observed that
heavy soil is unsuitable for cultivation
because of difficulty in harvesting and pod
loss. The soil should not be saline in nature
because these crops are sensitive to salt.
The soil for groundnut farming should not
have stones and clay otherwise the yield
would be affected. The temperature of the
area should be around 27-30˚C for good
germination and growth. The minimum
annual rainfall required for the crops is in
between 450 to 1250 mm. High altitudes,
cold and frost are not suitable for groundnut
farming. Exclusively long warm climate is
good for cultivating groundnuts.
Land Preparation and Planting for
Groundnut
All the previous crop residues and weeds
should be removed and first ploughing to a
depth of 15-20 cm should be done. This
should be followed by 2-4 cycles of disk
harrowing for getting a fine tilth of the soil.
There are three systems developed for
sowing groundnuts; the flat surface system,
the broad bed-furrow system and the ridge-
furrow system. The advantage of the broad
bed furrow system is that it helps in proper
draining of water, retains soil moisture,
provides aeration to the soil and facilitates
for intercultural activities.
Manure and Fertilizer Requirements for
Groundnut Farming
Residual soil fertility is essential while
cultivating groundnuts. This is obtained by
growing non-leguminous crops prior to
groundnuts and fertilizing them properly
with potassium and phosphorous content.
The soil is tested and then required amount
of fertilizers are added, but the general
recommendations for groundnut crops are
FYM @ 10 to 12 tonnes per hectare should
be supplied to the soil 25-30 days before
sowing. The plants may need micronutrients
like nitrogen @ 8-20 kg, phosphorous @ 16-
80 kg and potassium @ 1-75 kg per hectare
of land as a basal application. Calcium helps
in good seed development in groundnut
plants and is supplied during the flowering
stage @ 200-400 kg per hectare.
Intercultural Activities of Groundnut
Farming
Earthing up of soil should not be practiced
for groundnut plants otherwise the pod
formation of the lower highly productive
nodes is affected. It can also result in
deformed plants and non-flowering of the
crop.
Intercropping is practiced while growing
groundnuts during the initial years and the
crops that are generally intercropped are
pigeon pea, sunflower and some cereal
varieties.
Groundnuts are often cultivated in rotation
with non-leguminous crops so that the yield
increases and there are fewer occurrences
of diseases. Crops preferred for crop rotation
are maize, pearl millet, sorghum, etc
Pest and Disease Control in Groundnut
Farming
The major diseases found in groundnut
crops are rust, early and late leaf spots,
collar rot, aflatoxins and peanut bud and
stem necrosis. These can be controlled by
using disease resistant varieties, practicing
proper cultural methods, using chemical
formulations and biological measures.
Harvesting and Yield of Groundnut
Farming
Groundnut crops are considered to be
indeterminate crops and the pod maturity is
not uniform. For best harvest the farmer
should observe the farm regularly. Every
cultivar has a different maturity period and
the indications of maturity are defined by
pod colour, seed colour, leaves and
prevailing weather conditions. Inner walls of
the pod appear dark brown and if 75% of
the pods show this then it is understood that
the crops are ready to harvest. The seed
inside the pod is white when young and
changes to pink colour upon maturity. The
leaves of the crop turn yellow and become
dry at the tips indicating maturity of the
crops.
The average yield of spreading type
groundnut crops is estimated to be 1500 to
200 kg/ha and that of bunch type groundnut
is expected to be 1000 to 1500 kg/ha.
