Groundnut- Planting activities

Ground nut is propagated by seeds. The quantity of kernels needed ranges from 40 kg/acre for pure crop to 16 kg/acre for intercrop. The best season of planting is May-June to September-October for rainfed crop and January to May for irrigated crop.

The crop can be cultivated as a floor crop in coconut gardens, as an intercrop with tapioca and as a catch crop after second crop paddy with irrigation. The crop is grown best in sandy loam and loam soils.

Pods for seed purposes should be shelled by hand one week before sowing. Hand shelling ensures little damage to seeds. Discard very small, shriveled and diseased kernels.

Seed should be inoculated with proper strain of Rhizobium culture for enhancing yield. 200 gram rhizobium is needed for one acre. Rice gruel (kanjivellam) can be used to mix the rhizhobium with seed.

Plough the field three or four times into a fine tilth. Deep ploughing encourages development of pods in deeper layers of soil which makes harvesting difficult. Hence, deep ploughing should be avoided.

Lime or dolomite @ 3-6 kg/cent has to be applied depending on soil acidity. This should be followed by adding organic manure @ 80 kg/cent

Sow the seeds by dibbling in ploughed furrows at a spacing of 15 cm x 15 cm.

Apply recommended basal dose of fertilizers at the time of planting. A time lag of ten days should be given between application of lime and fertilizers.