A. RAINFED

1. Chithiraipattam (Apr - May)
Pollachi, Theni and Tenkasi  : TMV 7, ALR 3

2. Early Adipattam (Jun - Jul)
All districts     Bunch : TMV 7, CO 2, VRI 2, VRIGn 5,
Semispreading : TMV 10, COGn 5

• Late Adipattam (Jul - Aug)

All districts :  TMV 7, VRI 2, CO 2

B. IRRIGATED

1. Margazhipattam (Dec - Jan)
All districts : TMV 7, CO 2, CO 3, COGn 4, VRI 2, VRI 3, ALR 3, VRIGn 5
2. Masipattam (Feb - Mar)
New Delta areas of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam) :  TMV 7, CO 2, VRI 2, VRI 3,
3. Chithiraipattam (Apr – May)
TMV 7, CO 2, CO 3, COGn 4, VRI 2, VRI 3

I. Rainfed
1. FIELD PREPARATION

• Plough with tractor using a disc followed by harrow, once or twice with iron plough or 3 - 4 times with country plough till all the clods are broken and a fine tilth is obtained.
• Chiselling for soils with hard pan: Chisel the soils having hard pan formation at shallow depth with chisel plough first at 0.5 m interval in one direction and then in the direction perpendicular to the previous one, once in three years. Apply 12.5 t/ha of FYM or composted coir pith besides chiselling.
• Amendments for soil surface crusting : a) To tide over the surface crusting, apply lime @ 2 t/ha along with FYM or composted coir pith @ 12.5 t/ha. b) Coir pith at 12.5 t/ha converted to compost by inoculating with Pleurotus and applied serves as a good source of nutrients.

2. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS
Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendation. If soil test is not done, follow the blanket recommendation. N P K - 10 : 10 : 45 kg/ha

3. FORMING BEDS

i) Form beds of size 10 m2 to 20 m2 depending upon the slope of the land and type of soil.
ii) Wherever tractor is engaged, bed former may be used.

4. APPLICATION OF MICRONUTRIENTS

Mix 12.5 kg/ha of micronutrient mixture developed by Department of Agriculture with enough dry sand to make a total quantity of 50 kg/ha. Broadcast evenly on the soil surface immediately after sowing. Do not incorporate micronutrient mixture in to the soil.

5. NUTRITIONAL DISORDER

Zinc deficiency: Apply 25 kg ZnSO4/ha as basal.
If soil analysis shows less than 1.3 ppm of zinc, soil application of 25 kg ZnSo4 is recommended. For the standing crop, less than 39.4 ppm of zinc in leaves, foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSo4 is recommended.
Iron deficiency: spray 1% FeSo4 on 30, 40 and 50 days after sowing.
Boron deficiency: Apply Borax 10 kg + Gypsum 400 kg/ha at 45th day after sowing.

 

6. SEED RATE
Use 120 kg/ha of kernels. Increase the seed rate by 15% in the case of bold seeded varieties.

7. SPACING
Adopt a spacing of 30 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants. Wherever groundnut ring mosaic (bud necrosis) is prevalent, adopt a spacing of 15cm x 15 cm.

8. SEED TREATMENT

• Treat the seeds with talc formulation of Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg seed or Pseudomonasfluorescens @ 10 g/kg seed. Biocontrol agents are compatible with biofertilizers.Treat the seeds with biocontrol agents first and then with Rhizobium.Fungicides and biocontrol agents are incompatible.
• Treat the seeds with Trichoderma @ 4g/kg. This can be done just before sowing. It is compatible with biofertilizers. SUCH SEEDS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED WITH FUNGICIDES (or)
• Treat the seeds with Thiram or Mancozeb @ 4 g/kg of seed or Carboxin or  Carbendazim at 2 g/kg of seed.
• Treat the seeds with 3 packets (600 g)/ha of Rhizobialculture TNAU14 + 3 packets of Azospirillum (600 g/ha) and 3 packets (600 g/ha) of Phosphobacteria or 6 packets of Azophos (1200 g/ha)developed at TNAU using rice kanji as binder. If the seed treatment is not carried out apply 10packets of Rhizobium (2000g/ha) + 10 packets of Azospirillum (2000 g/ha) and 10 packets (2000 g) of Phosphobacteria with 25 kg of FYM and 25 kg of soil before sowing.

9. SOWING

Use Kovai seed drill/gorru to sow the seeds in lines. Put one seed in each hole. Protect the seeds from crows and squirrels.

10. INTERCROPPING

• Raise one row of cowpea for every five rows of groundnut wherever red hairy caterpillar is endemic.
• Raise intercrops like redgram, blackgram, sunflower, gingelly or other pulses.
• Cumbu can be raised as intercrop.
• Groundnut + Gingelly or Groundnut + Blackgram in the ratio of 4:1 or Groundnut +

      Cowpea at 6:1 ratio and Groundnut + Sunflower at 6:2 ratio may be raised.

11. WEED MANAGEMENT

• Pre-sowing: Fluchloralin at 2.0 l/ha soil applied and incorporated.
• Pre-emergence: Fluchloralin 2.0 l/ha applied through flat fan nozzle with 900 l of water/ha followed by irrigation. After 35 - 40 days one hand weeding may be given.
• If no herbicide is applied two hand weeding and hoeing are given on 20th and 40th day aftersowing.

12. EARTHING UP

Accomplish earthing up during second hand weeding/late hand weeding (in herbicide application).
NOTE:  i) Earthing up provides medium for the peg development.  ii) Use the improved hoe with long handle which can be worked more efficiently in a standing position. iii) Do not disturb the soil after 45th day of sowing as it will affect pod formation adversely.

 

13. APPLICATION OF CALCIUM SULPHATE (GYPSUM)

• Apply gypsum @ 400 kg/ha by the side of the plants on 40th to 70th day depending uponsoil moisture.
• Apply gypsum, hoe and incorporate it in the soil and then earth up.
• Avoid gypsum in calciferous soils.
• Gypsum is effective in soils deficient in calcium and sulphur.

NOTE: Application of gypsum encourages pod formation and better filling up of the pods.
Application of gypsum at the rate of 50 % basal both in rainfed and irrigated condition reduces
Khadhasty malady and pod scab nematode

Combined nutrient spray
            Pod filling is a major problem especially in the bold seed varieties. To improve pod filling spraying of nutrient solution is to be given. This can be prepared by soaking DAP 2.5 kg, Ammonium sulphate 1 kg and borax 0.5 kg in 37 lit of water overnight. The next day morning it can be filtered and about 32 litre of mixture can be obtained and it may be diluted with 468 lit of water so as to made up to 500 litre to spray for one ha. Plano fix at the rate of 350 ml. can also be mixed while spraying. This can be sprayed on 25th and 35th day after sowing.

14. HARVESTING

• Observe the crop, considering its average duration. Drying and falling of older leaves and yellowing of the top leaves indicate maturity.
• Pull out a few plants at random and shell the pods. If the inner shell is brownish black and not white, then the crop has matured.
• Irrigate prior to harvest, if the soil is dry, as this will facilitate easy harvesting. If there is enough moisture in the soil, there is no need for irrigation for harvesting.
• If water is not available for irrigating the field prior to harvest, work a mould board plough or work a country plough, so that the plants are uprooted. Engage labour to search pods left out in the soil, if necessary.

NOTE: Do not keep the pulled out plants in heaps when they are wet, especially the bunch varieties, as the pods will start sprouting.

• Strip off the pods from the plants. Groundnut stripper developed by TNAU can be used.
• Dry the pods in the sun for 4 or 5 days. Repeat drying for 2 or 3 more days after an interval of 2 or 3 days to ensure complete drying. When temperature is very high, avoid direct sun drying. Collect the pods in gunnies and store on the ground over a layer of sand to avoid any moisture coming in contact with dry pods.

1. FIELD PREPARATION

• Plough with tractor using a disc followed by harrow, once or twice with iron plough or 3 - 4 times with country plough till all the clods are broken and a fine tilth is obtained.
• Chiselling for soils with hard pan: Chisel the soils having hard pan formation at shallow depth with chisel plough first at 0.5 m interval in one direction and then in the direction perpendicular to the previous one, once in three years. Apply 12.5 t/ha FYM or composted coir pith besides chiselling.
• Amendments for soil surface crusting: a) To tide over the surface crusting, apply lime @ 2 t/ha along with FYM or composted coir pith @ 12.5 t/ha. b) When coir pith at 12.5 t/ha is converted into compost by inoculating with Pleurotus and applied, it serves as a good source of nutrient.

2. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS
Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendation. If soil test is not done, follow the blanket recommendation.
N P K - 17: 34: 54 kg/ha 
Sulphur sludge - 60 kg/ha

3. FORMING BEDS
Form beds of size 10 m2 to 20 m2 depending upon the availability of water, slope of the land and type of soil. Wherever tractor is engaged, bed former may be used.

4. POLYTHENE FILM MULCHING
Spread black polythene sheet over the soil surface. Seven micron polythene film sheet @ 50 kg/ha is required. Holes can be made at required spacing before spreading of the sheets.

5. APPLICATION OF MICRONUTRIENTS

• Mix 12.5 kg/ha of micronutrient mixture developed by Department of Agriculture with enough drysand to make a total quantity of 50 kg/ha.
• Broadcast evenly on the soil surface immediately after sowing.
• Do not incorporate the micronutrient mixture to the soil.

6. NUTRITIONAL DISORDER
Zinc deficiency: Apply 25 kg ZnSO4/ha as basal.
If soil analysis shows less than 1.3 ppm of zinc, soil application of 25 kg ZnSo4 is recommended. For the standing crop, less than 39.4 ppm of zinc in leaves, foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSo4 is recommended.
Iron deficiency : spray 1% FeSO4 on 30, 40 and 50 days after sowing.
Boron deficiency: Apply Borax 10 kg + Gypsum 200 kg/ha at 45th day after sowing.

7. SEED RATE
Use 125 kg/ha of kernels. Increase the seed rate by 15% in the case of bold seeded varieties.

8. SPACING
Adopt a spacing of 30 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants. Wherever groundnut ring mosaic (bud necrosis) is prevalent, adopt a spacing of 15cm x 15 cm.

9. SEED TREATMENT

• Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg seed or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg seed.
• Biocontrol agents are compatible with biofertilizers.
• First treat the seeds with biocontrol agents and then with Rhizobium.
• Fungicides and biocontrol agents are incompatible.

• Treatment with Trichoderma can be done just before sowing. SUCH SEEDS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED WITH FUNGICIDES. (or)
• Treat the seeds with Thiram or Mancozeb @ 4 g/kg of seed or Carboxin or Carbendazim at 2 g/kg of seed.
• Treat the seeds with 3 packets (600 g)/ha of Rhizobial culture TNAU14 developed at TNAU using rice kanji as binder. If the seed treatment is not carried out, apply 10 packets/ha (2000 g) with 25 kg of FYM and 25 kg of soil before sowing.

Seed treatment will protect the young seedlings from root-rot and collar rot infection.

10. SOWING
a) Dibble the seeds at 4 cm depth along with fertilizer.

11. WEED MANAGEMENT

• Pre-sowing: Fluchloralin at 2.0 l/ha soil applied and incorporatede followed by light irrigation.
• Pre-emergence: Fluchloralin 2.0 l/ha applied through flat fan nozzle with 900 l of water/ha followed by irrigation. After 35 - 40 days one hand weeding may be given.
• If no herbicide is applied two hand hoeing and weeding are given on 20th and 40th day after sowing.

12. EARTHING UP:
Accomplish earthing up during second hand weeding/late hand weeding (in herbicide application).
NOTE: i) Earthing up provides medium for the peg development. ii) Use the improved hoe with long handle which can be worked more efficiently in a standing position. iii) Do not disturb the soil after the 45th day of sowing as it will affect pod formation adversely.

13. APPLICATION OF CALCIUM SULPHATE (GYPSUM)

• Apply gypsum @ 400 kg/ha by the side of the plants on the 40th to 45th day of sowing. Apply gypsum, hoe and incorporate in the soil and then earth up.
• Avoid gypsum in calciferous soils.
• Gypsum is effective in soils deficient in calcium and sulphur.

NOTE: Application of gypsum encourages pod formation and better filling up of the pods.
Application of gypsum at the rate of 50 % basal both in rainfed and irrigated condition reduces Khadhasty malady and pod scab nematode
Combined nutrient spray
Pod filling is a major problem especially in the bold seed varieties. To improve pod filling spraying of nutrient solution is to be given. This can be prepared by soaking DAP 2.5 kg, Ammonium sulphate 1 kg and borax 0.5 kg in 37 lit of water overnight. The next day morning it can be filtered and about 32 litre of mixture can be obtained and it may be diluted with 468 lit of water so as to made up to 500 litre to spray for one ha. Plano fix at the rate of 350 ml. can also be mixed while spraying. This can be sprayed on 25th and 35th day after sowing.

14. WATER MANAGEMENT
Schedule the irrigation at 0.40 and 0.60 IW/CPE ratio during vegetative and reproductive phases respectively. Regulate irrigation according to the following growth phase of the crop.

• Pre-flowering phase : 1 to 25 days
• Flowering phase : 26 to 60 days
• Maturity phase : 61 to 105 days

Regulate irrigation based on physiological growth phases. Pegging, flowering and pod development phases are critical for irrigation during which period adequate soil moisture is essential. Apply irrigation as follows:

• Sowing or pre-sowing
• Life irrigation, 4 - 5 days after sowing if sowing irrigation given to break the surface crust.
• 20 days after sowing
• At flowering give two irrigations
• At pegging stage give one or two irrigations
• In pod development stage, 2 - 3 irrigations depending on the soil type

Note: Spraying 0.5% Potassium chloride during flowering and pod development stages will aid to mitigate the ill effects of water stress. Sprinkler irrigation will save water to the tune of about 30%. Borderstrip irrigation is recommended in command areas in light textured soils. Composted coir pith increases moisture availability and better drainage in heavy textured soil.

15. HARVESTING

• Observe the crop, considering its average duration. Drying and falling of older leaves and yellowing of the top leaves indicate maturity.
• Pull out a few plants at random and shell the pods. If the inner shell is brownish black and not white, then the crop has matured.
• Irrigate prior to harvest, if the soil is dry, as this will facilitate easy harvesting. If there is enough moisture in the soil, there is no need for irrigation for harvesting.
• If water is not available for irrigating the field prior to harvest, work a mould board plough or work a country plough, so that the plants are uprooted. Engage labour to search pods left out in the soil, if necessary.

NOTE: Do not keep the pulled out plants in heaps when they are wet, especially the bunch varieties, as the pods will start sprouting.

• Strip off the pods from the plants. Groundnut stripper developed by TNAU can be used.
• Dry the pods in the sun for 4 or 5 days. Repeat drying for 2 or 3 more days after an interval of 2 or 3 days to ensure complete drying. When temperature is very high, avoid direct sun drying. Collect the pods in gunnies and store on the ground over a layer of sand to avoid any moisture coming in contact with dry pods.

Average Yield:  
            Bunch type: 1.5-2.0 tons of pods per hectare
            Spreading type: 2-3 tons of pods per hectare

PEST MANAGEMENT

Red hairy caterpillar (Amsacta albistriga)
Symptoms of damage

• Caterpillars cause defoliation of the crop- all the leaves eaten away leaving the main stem alone.

Management strategies

• Dig out and destroy the pupae from the field bunds and shady spots prior to summer rains.
• Set up 3 to 4 light traps and bonfires immediately after receipt of rains, after sowing in the rainfed season to attract and kill the moths and also to know brood emergence.
• Collect and destroy gregarious, early instar larvae on lace-like leaves of intercrops such as redgram and cowpea.
• Collect and destroy egg masses in the cropped area.
• Avoid migration of larvae by digging a trench 30 cm deep and 25 cm wide with perpendicular sides around the infested fields.
• Apply any one of the following insecticides at 25 kg/ha (for young caterpillars) :

                        Quinalphos 1.5 D or Phosalone 4 D or Endosulfan 4 D or Carbaryl 10 D

• Spray any one of the following insecticides :

Endosulfan 35 EC 750 ml/ha or Fenitrothion 50 EC 750 ml/ha or Quinalphos 25 EC 750 ml/ha or Dichlorvos 76 WSC 625 ml/ha or Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1250 ml/ha or Ethion 50 EC 500 ml/ha or Phosalone 35 EC 750 ml/ha in 375 l of water.

• Use Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV) at 1.5 x 1012 POBs per ha

Tobacco cut worm (Spodoptera litura)
Symptoms of damage

• Freshly hatched larvae feed gregariously, scraping the chlorophyll, soon disperse.
• Sometimes the feeding is so heavy that only petioles and branches are left behind.

Management

• Grow castor as border or intercrop in groundnut fields to serve as indicator or trap crop.
• Monitor the emergence of adult moths by setting up light and pheromone traps.
• Collect egg masses and destroy.
• Collect the gregarious larvae and destroy them as soon as the early symptoms of lace-like leaves appear on castor, cowpea and groundnut.
• Apply anyone of the following insecticides to control the early instar (1st to 3rd instar) larvae

Carbaryl 10 D 25 kg/ha or Fenitrothion 50 EC 750 ml/ha or Carbaryl 50 WP 2.0 kg/ha or Quinalphos 25 EC 750 ml/ha or Fenthion 100 EC 500 ml/ha or Phenthoate 50EC 1250 ml/ha or Dichlorvos 76 WSC 750 ml/ha or Endosulfan 35 EC 1.0 l/ha

• Spray any one of the following insecticides to control the 4th to 6th instar larvae :

Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 2.0 l/ha or Dichlorvos 76 WSC 1.0 l/ha or Phenthoate 50 EC 2.0 l/ha or Profenophos 2.0 l/ha or Neem oil (2%) 20 lit /ha

• Prepare a bait with the following materials to cover one ha. Rice bran 12.5 kg; Molasses or brown sugar 1.25 kg or carbaryl 50 WP 1.25 kg. Mix the ingredients to obtain a homogeneous mixture, sprinkle water (7 lit.) gradually and bring the bait to a dough consistency. Distribute the above bait on the soil, around the field and inside in the evening hours immediately after preparation.
• Apply Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus 1.5 x 1012 POBs/ha with crude sugar 2.5 kg/ha and Teepol 250 ml/ ha. Methods of mass culturing and application are the same as for Amsacta NPV. Use castor leaves for larvae

Leaf hopper (Empoasca kerri)
Management:

• Intercrop lab lab with groundnut 1:4 ratio
• Spray Imidacloprid 200 SL at 100 ml/ha twice, at 30 and 51 days after sowing

Leaf miner (Aproaerema modicella)
Symptoms of damage

• Young larvae initially mine into the leaflets, feed on the mesophyll and form small brown blotches on the leaf.
• Later stages larvae web the leaflets together and feed on them, remaining within the folds.
• Severely attacked field looks "burnt" from a distance.

Management:

• Set up light traps between 8 and 11 p.m at ground level
• Apply anyone of the following insecticides at 25 kg/ha :

                        Phosalone 4 D or Endosulfan 4 D or Carbaryl 10 D or Fenitrothion 2 D

• Spray any one of the following :

Endosulfan 35 EC 750 ml/ha or Dichlorvos 76 WSC 625 ml/ha or Monocrotophos 36 WSC 750 ml/ha or Phosphamidon 40 SL 750 ml/ha or Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1250 ml/ha or Phosalone 35 EC 750 ml/ha or Quinalphos 25 EC 750 ml/haor Phenthoate 50 EC 750 ml/ha or Imidacloprid 200 SL 150 ml/ha (in 375 l of water)
Pod borer (Earwig) (Anisolabis stali)
Symptoms of damage

• Young pods showing bore holes plugged with excreta
• Sand particles or discoloured pulps
• Pods without kernal.

Management:

• Apply any one of the following to the soil prior to sowing in endemic areas :
• Malathion 5 D 25 kg/ha or Endosulfan 4 D 25 kg/ha
• Repeat soil application of any one of the above dust formulations on the 40th day of sowing and incorporate in the soil during the earthing up.

Millipede (Spirostreptus spp.)
  Apply methyl parathion 2D 25 kg/ha during gypsum application and earthing up

DISEASE MANAGEMENT
Seed treatment Treat the seeds with any one of the following
            Thiram @ 4g/Kg of seed or Mancozeb @ 4g/Kg of seed or Carboxin @ 2g/kg of seed or  Carbendazim @ 2g/kg of seed. or Talc formulation of T. viride @ 4g/kg of seed or P. fluorescens @10g/kg of seed. 
Rust (Puccinia arachidis)
Symptoms

• Pustules appear first on the lower surface and in highly susceptible cultivars the original pustules may be surrounded by colonies of secondary pustules.
• Pustules may also appear on the upper surface of the leaflet.
• They may be formed on all aerial plant parts apart from flower and pegs. Severely infected leaves turn necrotic and desiccate but are attached to the plant.

Management:
Spray any one of the following :
Mancozeb 1000g /ha or Chlorothalonil 1000g /ha or Wettable sulphur 2500g /ha or Tridemorph 500 ml/ha. If necessary, repeat the spray 15 days later.
Early leaf Spot (Cercopora arachidicola)
Late leaf Spot (Phaeoisariopsis personata)
Management:
Spray any one of the following:
Carbendazim 500 g/ha or Mancozeb 1000 g/ha or Chlorothalonil 1000 g/ha. If necessary give the second round 15 days later.
Combined infection of rust and Leaf spot
Spray any one of the following:
Botanical /others

• Spray 10% Calotropis leaf extract

Chemical

• Spray Carbendazim 250 g + Mancozeb 1000g/ha
• Chlorothalonil 1000g/ha. If necessary give the second round 15 days later.

Root rot (Rhizoctonia bataticola)
Biological control

• Soil application of P. fluorescens @ 2.5g /ha mixed with 50 kg of well decomposed FYM / sand at 30 DAS

Chemical

• Spot drench with Carbendazim 1 g / litre.

Groundnut Bud Necrosis (Peanut Bud Nercrosis Virus)
Vector: Thrips tabaci, Frankliniella schultzeii
Cultural Method

• Adopt a close spacing of 15 x 15 cm.
• Remove infected plants up to 6 weeks after sowing and spray Monocrotophos 36 WSC 500 ml/ha, 30 days after sowing either alone or in combination with antiviral principles.

Botanical/others

• Antiviral principles from sorghum or coconut leaves. AVP are extracted as follows: Sorghum or coconut leaves collected, dried, cut into small bits and powdered.
• To one kg of leaf powder two litres of water is added and heated to 60°C for one hour. It is then filtered through muslin cloth and diluted to 10 litres and sprayed.
• To cover one ha 500 litre of fluid will be required. Two sprays at 10 and 20 days after sowing will be needed.