Groundnut is one of the important oilseed crops of Odisha. High yielding varieties of groundnut have remarkably increased production of this crop in different growing regions. Knowledge of integrated cultural management practices along with good quality seeds can help to boost the productivity levels of groundnut and improve the economic condition of the farmers.

1. January
2018
Integrated cultural management
practices of groundnut
About ICRISAT: www.icrisat.org
ICRISAT’s scientific information: http://EXPLOREit.icrisat.org
Groundnut is one of the important oilseed crops of Odisha. High yielding
varieties of groundnut have remarkably increased production of this crop
in different growing regions. Knowledge of integrated cultural management
practices along with good quality seeds can help to boost the productivity
levels of groundnut and improve the economic condition of the farmers.
Selection of field and land preparation
• Ideal soil: well drained, light colored, either sand,
loamy sand or sandy loam texture with a pH ranging
between 6.0 and 6.3
• Ploughing to a depth of 15-20 cm and 3-4 passes of
the harrow
• Groundnut can be sown on flat beds or ridges
(60 cm row to row; 10 cm plant to plant distance)
separated by furrows or raised beds (0.4-0.8%
slope) with 1.2 m width and distance of 30 cm
between rows
Selection of variety and seed quality
• High yielding location specific recommended varieties along with resistance/
tolerance to diseases and insect pests should be selected
• Certified seeds from a reliable source or self stored seeds should be used for
sowing
Manure and nutrient management
Groundnut responds to residual soil fertility better than the direct
application of fertilizers
• FYM or Compost: 10-12 t/ha, 25-30 days before sowing
• Macronutrients: N, P and K: 8-20 N, 16-80 P2
O5
, 25-75 K2
O kg/ha as basal
application
Optimum plant population: 330,000 plants/ha for Spanish/Valencia
cultivars and 148,000 plants/ha for Virginia cultivars.
Seed rate: Seed rate is always depends on seed size
Large seeded varieties: 120 to 140 kg/ha
Small seeded varieties: 80 to 100 kg/ha
Inter-cultivation and Weed management:
• Apply pre-emergence herbicide Pendimethalin @ 1.0 -1.5 kg a.i./ha as spray or
Fluchloralin @ 1.0 -1.5 kg a.i./ha before sowing
• One inter-culture operation followed by manual weeding at flowering stage
Water management:
Irrigation immediately after sowing followed by water at critical stages such
as flowering, pegging and, pod and seed development is essential to get a
good crop
Plant protection:
In case of disease appearance the following protection measures must
be taken-
Groundnut crop on raised beds
Gypsum application in groundnut field
• Provide calcium (Ca)
to pegging zone: The
application of gypsum at
200-400 kg/ha at the peak
flowering stage as side
placement
• Micronutrients: If soil
test shows deficiency of
micronutrients like Boron,
Zinc and Iron then Boron
(@3-4 kg/ha), Zinc
(@3-5 kg/ha) and Iron
(@10 kg/ha) can be applied
before sowing
• Application of Sulphur is important in oilseed crops. The recommended dose
of Sulphur in groundnut is 10-15 kg/ha
Seed treatments
• For soil borne fungal diseases: Captan (1.5 g) + thiram (1.5 g), carbendazim
(2.0 g) or mancozeb (3.0 g) per kg of seed; Trichoderma viride or T. harzianum
@ 4-5 g/kg of seed
• For insect pests: Imidacloprid 2 ml/kg of seed and Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 12.5
ml/kg seed
• Rhizobium inoculation: Rhizobium inoculation is beneficial in newly cleared
fields, rice fallows, fields with eroded soils and low fertility (@2.5 g/kg seed)
• For breaking seed dormancy: Seeds of Virginia varieties should be treated with
ether (@5 ml/Lt of water) to break the postharvest seed dormancy
Plant density, sowing depth and sowing methods:
Row to row distance is 30–45 cm and plant to plant is 10–15 cm or as
recommended for the location; one seed/hill with a sowing depth of 5 cm.
S. No. Diseases Controlling measure
1. Rust Calixin 80 EC @ 250 ml a.i./ha
2. Early and late leaf spots Carbendazim 50 WP @ 250 g a.i./ha or
Mancozeb 50 WP @ 500 g a.i./ha
3. Rust and leaf spots Chlorothalonil 75 WP @ 750 g a.i./ha
4. Collar rot/stem rot Soil application of T. viride or T. harzianum @
2.5 kg/ha
5. Aflatoxin T. viride @ 1 kg/ha (mixed with 50 kg FYM)
Harvest at maturity
The plants are ready for harvest when the inner side of
the pod shell turns black or when the leaves start turning
yellow
Insect pests:
S. No. Pests Controlling measure
1. Tobacco caterpillar
(Spodoptera), Gram pod
borer (Helicoverpa) and Red
hairy caterpillar (Amsacta)
Application of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus
(NPV) @ 250 LE/ha; Fenvalerate @ 100
mL a.i./ha or Indoxacarb @ 70 mL a.i./ha
or Spinosad @ 45 ml a.i./ha (if defoliation
exceeds 25%)
2. Groundnut leaf miner Apply Dimethoate @ 200-250 ml a.i./ha or
Imidacloprid @ 25 ml a.i./ha
3. Aphids, Thrips and Jassids Imidacloprid @ 25 ml a.i./ha or Dimethoate
@ 200-250 ml a.i./ha
4. White grub and termite Carbofuran (3G) granules @1 Kg/ha
Preventive measure- 100% decomposed FYM
should be applied in order to prevent crop
from these pests
Pod features at proper
maturity stage
Drying and curing
PICS bag for storage of groundnut seeds
The seeds in well-dried pods should have about
5-8% moisture content
Acknowledgement: We are thankful to Government of Odisha and RKVY
cell for providing funding for the project
Storage
Purudue Improved
Cowpea Storage (PICS)
bags are useful for storing
groundnut for long
duration