By: Dr P. Chennakrishnan GROUNDNUTS oiling the economy The area under groundnut cultivation in India constitutes approximately one-tenth of the total cultivated area in the country. India is second only to China in the production of this nut. Read on to learn more about this backbone of the Indian rural economy. kernels (Arachis hypogeal L.) is believed to be native to South America and the Caribbean. The plant was introduced by the Portuguese into Africa, from where it was introduced into North America. It came to India during the first half of the 16th century from one of the Pacific islands of China, where it was introduced earlier from either Central or South America. The oil content of the seed varies from 44 to 50 per cent, depending on the varieties and agronomic conditions. Farmyard manure oil is edible and extensively used as a cooking medium, both as refined oil and vanaspati. It is also used in soap making, manufacturing cosmetics and lubricants. kernels are also eaten raw, roasted or sweetened. They are rich in protein and vitamins A, B and some members of the B 2 group. Their calorific value is 349 per 100 gm. The H.P.S. type of groundnut kernel is exported to foreign countries. The residual oilcake contains 7 to 8 per cent of nitrogen, 1.5 per cent of phosphorous pentoxide and 1.2 per cent of potassium oxide and is used as a fertiliser. It is an important protein supplement in cattle and poultry feed. The cake can be used to manufacture artificial fibre. The haulms (plant stalks) are fed (green, dried or silaged) to livestock. shells are used to manufacture coarse boards, cork substitutes, etc. is also of value as a rotation crop. Being a legume Table I Farmyard Manure Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Rain-fed crop 6.25 tonnes 10-20 20-40 20-40 Irrigated crop 12.5 tonnes 20-40 40-90 20-40 8 FACTS FOR YOU August 2012
Table II Nutritional Value of Nutrition Value Energy 2385 (570 kcal) Ariginine 3.001 gm Carbohydrates 21 gm Histidine 0.634 gm Sugars 0.0 gm Alanine 0.997 gm Dietary fibre 9 gm Aspartic acid 3.060 gm Fat 48 gm Glutamic acid 5.243 gm Saturated fat 7 gm Phenylalanine 1.300 gm Monosaturated fat 24 gm Tyrosine 1.020 gm Polyunsaturated 16 gm Water 4.26 gm Protein 25 gm Thiamine (Vitamin B1) 0.6 mg (46%) Tryptophan 0.244 gm Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) 0.3 mg (20%) Threonine 0.859 gm Niacin (Vitamin B3) 12.9 mg (86%) Isleucine 0.882 gm Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.8 mg (36%) Leucine 1.627 gm Vitamin B6 0.3 mg (23%) Proline 1.107 gm Folate (Vitamin B9) 246 ug (62%) Serine 1.236 gm Vitamin C 0.0 mg (0%) Glycine 1.512 gm Calcium 62 mg (6%) Lysine 0.901 gm Iron 2 mg (16%) Methuionine 0.308 gm Magnesium 184 mg (50%) Cystine 0.322 gm Phosphorus 366 mg (48%) Valine 1.052 gm Potassium 332 mg (7%) Source: USDA Nutrient Database plantation with root nodules, it can synthesise atmospheric nitrogen and therefore improve soil fertility. Distribution, cultivation area and production The major groundnut-producing countries of the world are India, China, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Myanmar and the USA. Out of the global groundnut acreage of 18.9 million hectares producing an annual harvest of 17.8 million tonnes, these countries account for 69 per cent of the area cultivated and 70 per cent of the yearly crop. India occupies the second position, both with regard to acreage and production. About 8 million hectares are cultivated annually and the output is about 7.5 million tonnes. Seventy per cent of the area and 75 per cent of India s groundnut output is concentrated in the four states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Climate and soil is grown throughout the tropics, and its cultivation also extends to the sub-tropical regions lying between 45 N and 35 S and up to an altitude of 1000 metres. The crop can be grown successfully in places receiving a minimum rainfall of 1250 mm. The rainfall should be well distributed during the flowering and pegging of the crop. The total amount required for pre-sowing operations (preparatory cultivation) is 100 mm; for sowing, it is 150 mm and for flowering and pod development an evenly distributed rainfall of 400-500 mm is required. The groundnut crop, however, cannot stand frost, long and severe drought or water stagnation. is grown on a wide variety of soil types. However, the crop does best on sandy loam and loamy soils and in well-drained black soil. Heavy and stiff clays are unsuitable for groundnut cultivation, as the pod development is hampered in these soils. is generally grown as a kharif crop. In certain places, it is rotated with wheat, jowar, bajra, garden crops such as potatoes, onions, chillies, garlic, ginger and turmeric. The yields of cereal crops August 2012 FACTS FOR YOU 9
Variety Habit Virginia/ Table III Varieties of Group Pedigree Ah.32 Bunch Introduction Yields 1150 kg of pods/ha under rain-fed conditions with 48.1% oil content Junagadh-II Bunch Ah.4218x, Ah.4354 Yields 1400 kg of pods/ha with 49.6% oil GAUG-1, Junagadh-113 Bunch AK.10x AK.12-24 Yields 1500 kg of pods/ha with 50.2% oil Punjab-I Spreading Virginia Introduction Yields 1700 kg of pods/ha with 49.4% oil Ah.334 Spreading Virgina Introduction Yields 1400 kg of pods/ha with 47.6% oil GAUG-2 Spreading Virginia G. 221-31x Yields 1950 kg of pods/ha with 50.0% oil (4-16) Go-343 TMV-2 Bunch Introduction Yields 1000 kg of pods/ha under rainfed conditions with 49.4% oil Improved, Kadiri-71.1 Bunch Spreading Virginia Introduction Selection from Ah. 288 TMV-2 Bunch Mass selection from Gudiathem bunch TMV-3 Spreading Virginia Pure line selection from Bassi of W. Africa and from Saloum of W. Africa Yields 1250 kg of pods/ha with 52% oil. Drought-tolerant Yields 1390 kg of pods/ha with 47% oil. Moderately resistant to the tibba disease Yields 1100-1650 kg of pods/ha with 49.4% oil. A cosmopolitan variety. Drought-tolerant Yields 1450 kg of pods with 49.7% oil TMV-4 Spreading Virginia Pure line from N. Carolina variety Yields 1450 kg of pods/ha with 49.4% oil. Has high percentage of 3-4 seeded pods. Suited to irrigated conditions TMV-6 Semi-spreading Virginia Pure line from Virginia bunch Yields 950 kg of pods/ha with 48% oil. A table variety TMV-7 Bunch Pure line from Tennessee White Yields 1400 kg of pods/ha with 49.6% oil. Kernels with dormancy for 10 days TMV-8 Semi-spreading Virginia Pure line from Manaparai local Yields 1600 kg of pods/ha with 50.1% oil TMV-9 Bunch Ah.3490xAh.477 Yields 1530 kg of pods under rain-fed conditions and 1900 kg/ha under irrigation. Oil content of 51.4%, seed dormancy of 20 days, and tolerant to tibba and rust TMV-10 Semi-spreading Virginia Spontaneous mutant from Argentinean Yields 1650 kg of pods/ha with 54.4% oil. Testa varigated variety pol.1 Bunch Pure line from a Malaysian Yields 1450 kg of pods/ha with 46.6% oil variety pol.2 Bunch Pollachi redxah.2105 Yields 1500 kg of pods/ha with 47.4% oil grown following a groundnut harvest usually increase by about 25 per cent. Pulses like red gram (arhar), mash and moong are inter-planted with groundnut. In certain places, millets like jowar and bajra, and castor are grown along with groundnut. Season is raised mostly as a rain-fed kharif crop, being sown from May to June, depending on the monsoon rains. In some areas, where the monsoon is delayed, it is sown as late as August or in early September. As an irrigated crop it is grown in a limited scale between January and March and between May and July. cultivation As a kharif crop, after one set of rains in May-June, the field is ploughed twice and the soil is pulverised well to obtain a good tilth. The third ploughing may be done just before sowing. Harrows or tillers can be used for cultivation. When the soils are heavily infested with perennial weeds like Cynodon or Cyperus, very deep ploughing is needed. If a field is infested with white grubs, chemicals like Heptachl or chlordane are drilled at the rate of 25 kg per hec- 10 FACTS FOR YOU August 2012
Table IV World Production in 2010-11 Country Area (000 ha) Production (000 MT) Yield China 5125 13,448 2623 India 8000 7500 938 Indonesia 683 1377 2016 Myanmar 730 730 1270 Pakistan 100 106 1060 Thailand 132 132 1517 Vietnam 240 400 1665 Table V Statewise Production in 2011-12* States 2011-12 ( 000 tonnes) tare before final harrowing. For the irrigated crop, beds of convenient sizes can be made, depending on the topography of the land, the nature of the irrigation source and the mode of lifting water. Since groundnut is a deep rooted plant, it uses up both moisture and nutrients in the deeper layers of the soil. Table I gives the recommended fertiliser schedules, depending upon the soil fertility, the variety grown, and the quantum and distribution of rainfall. Usually, the application of only nitrogen and phosphorus is resorted to, since most Indian soils are rich in potassium. The application of nitrogen in two equal split doses, one before sowing and the other 2010-11 ( 000 tonnes) Per cent change Gujarat 17.75 18.7 5.08% Andhra Pradesh 5.5 6 8.33% Tamil Nadu 3.5 2 75% Maharashtra 1.8 2 10% Madhya Pradesh 1.8 1.5 20% Punjab, Haryana and UP 0.8 0.8 Others 10.6 10 6% India (total, with shell) 41.75 41 1.83% *Estimated 30 days after sowing, is found to increase the yield. In virgin lands, when groundnut is newly introduced, the application of a culture of Rhizobium as seed treatment helps increase nodulation and nitrogen fixation. The application of 500 kg of gypsum per ha at the pegging stage will also enhance pod formation. Healthy and well-developed pods should be hand shelled or shelled with a suitable groundnut sheller about a fortnight before sowing. Welldefined kernels should be selected and treated with 5 gm of Thiram or 3 gm of Captan for every kilogram of kernels. The kharif crop is sown with a speed-drill or with a suitable planter at a depth of 8 to 10 cm. The quantity of well developed seeds required per hectare with the typical spacing will be about 110 kg for semi-spreading and spreading varieties, and 120 kg for the bunch varieties. Pests and diseases Aphids, the leaf miner, the red hairy caterpillar and the white grub are the most serious pests of the groundnut crop. Dusting B.H.C (10 per cent) on the young larvae or spraying Metasystox (0.05 per cent) on full-grown caterpillars is recommended for controlling the red hairy caterpillar. Spot-treatment with Phorate or Mephospholan granules at the rate of 1.5 kg per ha into the soil before planting is recommended to control the white grub. The tikka leaf-spot and coller-rot are important diseases of groundnut. Rust has also been quite widespread in recent years in certain groundnut growing areas. It is important to store groundnut in gunny bags stacked in a storeroom in such a way that there is sufficient air circulation. Dry seed dressing with Thiram or Captan @ 4g/kg of seed is recommended to control collar-rot. And spraying with Hinosan (0.02 per cent) is recommended to check the spread of the pathogen. yield Under rain-fed conditions, the average yield of semi-spreading and spreading varieties of groundnut is 1200-1400 kg of unshelled pods per hectare; and that of bunch types is 800-1000 kg/ha. Fields with supplementary irrigation produce 3000 kg more of pods per hectare. The pods yield 70 to 75 per cent of kernels by weight. The yield of haulms is usually two to two-and-a-half times that of pods. Important points for maximising yields 1. Use of improved varieties is recommended for a particular soil type 2. Use of good quality seeds for sowing 3. Treating seeds with fungicide prior to sowing 4. Inoculating seeds with a culture of Rhizobium Varieties of groundnut The varieties under cultivation fall into three groups, with respect to their growth patterns: bunch August 2012 FACTS FOR YOU 11
Year Table VI Production in India Index number of groundnut Yield of groundnut (kg/hectare) production (million tonnes) 1970-71 5.6 834 6.1 1980-81 101.8 736 5.0 1990-91 83.4 904 7.5 2000-01 125.3 977 6.4 2004-05 106.8 1020 NA 2005-06 112.9 1187 8.0 2006-07 133.3 866 4.9 2007-08 81.1 1459 9.2 2008-09 153.1 1163 7.5 2009-10 119.5 1007 5.5 2010-11 120.2 1008 5.6 2011-12 121.3 1009 5.85 Source: Economic Survey, Government of India, New Delhi (), semi-spreading (Virginia bunch) and spreading (Virginia runner). In the bunch group, the plants grow erect, have light green foliage, produce pods in clusters at the base of the plant, and have round, plump non-dormant seeds, with light rose coloured testa. In the case of the semi-spreading and spreading varieties, the branches trail either partially or completely on the surface of the soil, produce pods all along them, have dark green foliage and have oblong, dormant brownish seeds. The semispreading and spreading types are usually heavier yielding and latermaturing than the bunch varieties. The improved varieties recommended for cultivation in different states are listed in Table III. Though India has more area under groundnut cultivation than China, the production is less as yields are low because the crop is mostly grown under rain-fed conditions. As per Table IV, China leads in production of groundnuts with a share of about 41.5 per cent of overall world production, followed by India with 18.2 per cent. In India, groundnut is the oilseed with the highest production. Compared to last year, sowing in Andhra Pradesh declined to 1.02 million hectares from 1.36 million hectares. According to the data provided by the Union Agriculture Department, as on September 30, 2011, groundnut covered 4.28 million hectares of the kharif season, down 690,000 hectares from the 4.97 million hectares of the previous year. Analysts say another reason for the fall in area under this major kharif oilseed crop was the delay in rain in major groundnutgrowing states, which led to late sowing. To encourage the farmers to grow oilseeds, including groundnut, the government has implemented the Integrated Scheme for Oilseeds, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM) in 14 major oilseed producing states, 15 maize growing states and nine oil palm growing states. Overall oilseed production fell to 30.52 million tonnes in 2011-12 (July-June) from 32.47 million tonnes in the previous year. The author is assistant professor in Economics, Thiruvalluvar University, Serkkadu, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 12 FACTS FOR YOU August 2012