Optimizing sowing time of Spanish bunch groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) cultivars for spring-summer season in north-west India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the spring-summer seasons of 2018 and 2019 at Ludhiana, Punjab, to study the performance of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars under different sowing dates. The experiment was laid out in 3 replications in a split-plot design with 4 sowing dates (25 February, 10 March, 25 March and 10 April) in main plots and 4 cultivars, viz. SG 99, TG 37A, TAG 24 and J 87 in subplots. The crop sown on 25 February took 6, 10 and 12 days more for emergence (17 days) and 11, 20 and 25 days more for maturity (133 days) than that sown on 10 March, 25 March and 10 April sowing dates, respectively. The highest pod yield (5.61 t/ ha) was obtained from 10 March and oil yield (1.88 t/ha) from 25 February sowing date, whereas 10 April sowing resulted in the lowest pod yield (4.78 t/ha) and oil yield (1.43 t/ha). Gross returns, net returns and benefit: cost (B : C) ratio were the highest from 10 March-sown crop. Effect of sowing dates on yield attributes was variable. Cultivar J 87 gave the highest pod yield (5.78 t/ha), oil yield (1.96 t/ha), haulm yield (8.51 t/ha), resulting in higher gross returns and net returns than the other cultivars. TG 37A gave higher pod yield than SG 99 and TAG 24 and the highest B : C ratio. Cultivar J 87 sown on 25 February gave significantly higher pod yield (6.73 t/ha) and oil yield (2.71 t/ha) than the other sowing dates. The highest pod and oil yields were recorded by SG 99 when sown on 25 February; by TG 37A when sown on 25 March and by TAG 24 when sown on 10 March sowing date.