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The cultivated groundnut fall into three groups in respect of the habit of growth, namely bunch (Spanish) and Valencea, semi-spreading (Virginia bunch) and spreading (Virginia runner).

In the bunch group, the seeds are round, plump non-dormant with light-rose testa.

In the semi-spreading and spreading varieties, the seeds are oblong, brownish and have dormancy.

A healthy crop with good yields starts with the use of well selected seeds for sowing.

The foremost reason for low yields in groundnut is due to low crop stand in the field due to the use of bad seed material.

To get the required plant stand, well developed groundnut pods are selected at the time of harvesting. Such pods are stored in a well ventilated with low moisture conditions.

Healthy and well-developed pods are shelled by hand or by using a good groundnut Sheller.

Seed that splits or damaged during shelling will not germinate and grow.

From the shelled pods well-filled kernels are selected.

 From the shelled pods well-filled kernels are selected.

      To obtain a full stand, use undamaged seed with intact seed coats and treat shelled seed with an approved seed protectant prior to planting.
The seed treatment is done manually for small amount of seeds. Large amount of seeds can be treated using a seed treating drum

 

    Groundnut seed is treated with Captan or Thiram at 3 gm/kg of the seed to prevent any infestation from soil borne diseases.
Chlorpyriphose is used @ 250 ml/45 kg of seed to prevent the seed damage from soil insects at initial stages.
Groundnut seed hardening treatment with calcium chloride solution of 0.5 per cent induce drought tolerance and increased the yield.
If groundnuts are planted in a field which has not been planted to groundnut crop within 4 to 5 years or the previous groundnut crop in the field has not produced a well nodulated, nitrogen fixing crop, inoculating the seed with Rhizobium culture will help in improving nitrogen fixation by the crop.

Well nodulated (left) and

poorlynodulated (right) plants

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