Agronomic Factors Influencing Yield and Quality of Groundnuts in the Sudan Gezira

Abstract

SummaryAn early upright-bunch variety of groundnut, Barberton, and a medium-late spreading-bunch variety, Ashford, were compared at 7·5, 15·0 and 30·0 cm. intra-row spacings planted at one and two kernels per hill on 60 cm. ridges in the irrigated heavy clay soil of the Sudan Gezira in 1963 and 1964. Barberton was harvested on days 95, 110 and 125, and Ashford on days 125, 140 and 155 after planting in July–August. Ashford outyielded Barberton at the lower densities, and the best pod yields were obtained on day 125 harvest at a population of 55,000–60,000 plants per acre. A higher plant population depressed the yield of Ashford while the increased pod yield of Barberton was not significant. Field germination of kernels increased more in Barberton with delay in harvest and with decrease in plant population than in Ashford. Mean pod and kernel weights and shelling out-turn of Barberton increased with delay in harvest. Barberton gave higher oil content and shelling out-turn, and lower proportion of pods with single kernels than Ashford. The highest population of Barberton gave the best oil content in early harvests. In general, the arrangement of plants within rows at similar populations had only small effects except on the quality of nuts, which was improved by planting single kernels at close spacing (7·5 cm.) with the variety Barberton and two kernels at wide spacing (15·0 cm.) with Ashford, at optimum plant populations.