Soil requirements for groundnut

Groundnuts are a popular source of food throughout the world. Groundnuts are produced in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, on sandy soils.

Uniquely among legume crops, groundnut pods are formed in the soil. Groundnut plants need well drained sandy loam or sandy clay loam soil for better performance. Deep well-drained soils with a pH of 6.5 – 7.0 and high fertility, are ideal for groundnut.

The groundnut pod is produced underground at the tip of the pegs. The topsoil must thus have a low clay content (less than 20%) with a loose structure so that the peg may penetrate the soil freely. The crop can also more easily be pulled up at harvest without leaving pods behind in the soil.

It is observed that heavy soil is unsuitable for cultivation because of difficulty in harvesting and pod loss. Soils with a high clay percentage in the topsoil may cause the groundnut pegs to break at harvest.

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. An optimum soil temperature for good germination of groundnut is around 27-30˚C for good germination and growth.

Low temperature at sowing delays germination and increases seed and seedling diseases. The soil should also be light coloured. This indicates that it is relatively low in organic matter, which helps prevent fungal diseases. It also means that the soil will not stain the pods, which can reduce the market value of the crop if it is sold in the pod.
Soil requirements for groundnut

Planting Of Peanut Or Groundnut

The crop is cultivated between 40ºN to 40ºS of the equator and it grow best in light textured sandy loam soils with neutral pH. Optimum peanut production can be achieved with optimum temperature for their growth and development ranges from 28 to 30 ºC and the crop requires about 500-600 mm of well distributed rainfall.

The area for planting peanut shall be free from hazardous substances and pesticides that may leave residues or contaminate peanut kernels to the level harmful to consumers.

Peanuts are planted in April or May and harvested in September. Peanuts take about 3-5 days for germination and emergence from the soil at 30° C. The crop is a self-pollinated crop whereby flowers occur on elongated are produced above ground and, after fertilization, pegs move towards the soil, and seed-containing pods are formed and developed underneath the soil.

The peanut grows as a plant that blooms yellow flowers and the petals wilt after a period of time and signal the underground growth of the nuts.

Peanut should be harvested at the right stage of maturity normally farmer waits until the soil not too wet or too dry before digging. During harvesting, using portable mechanical pickers peanuts are removed from vines and are delivered to warehouses for cleaning.
Planting Of Peanut Or Groundnut