Furrows To Up Nut Output
About the Practice
Vaghabhai Chabra does the spadework and times his crop to increase groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) crop output. His method depends merely on the elements and not much additional inputs are required. He simply pours five bullock-cart loads of wet sand per bigha of the crop land. After doing the spadework, furrows are made in the length and breadth of the acreage where groundnut seeds are to be sown. All this work is done on the verge of the monsoon. Once the monsoon breaks out the furrows are filled with water. The first plentiful rain is enough for sowing groundnut seed. Under the wet conditions not only more seed can be sown, but also the eventual production will increase. Besides, soil fertility will rise with the input of new sand. The outstanding features of Vaghabhais practice are the timing and spadework. He is apparently one of those farmers who do not wait for the rain gods to smile. On the contrary, the farmer is one to make the rain gods smile at his good work. Whether the method works for the other crops remains to be tested.
About the Innovator
Agro-Ecological Zone: North Saurashtra, South Saurashtra (GJ-6, GJ-7)
Address: Zanzmer, Umrala, Bhavnagar
District: Bhavnagar
State: Gujarat
PIN Code 364320
Practice Details
Crop: Groundnut
Crop Family: Solanaceae
Crop Scientific Name: (Arachis hypogaea)
Crop Vernacular Name: Magfali
Formulation: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) crop
Ingredients: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) wet sand
PAS 1:
"Soil Properties and Yield of Groundnut associated with Herbicides, Plant Geometry, and Plastic Mulch - Experiments were conducted over 2 years during the dry season of 2002 (June–September) and wet season of 2002–2003 (December–March) at Regional Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vridhachalam, India, to study the influence of two colors of polyethylene film mulch (black and white polyethylene film mulch), herbicides (Fluchloralin at 1.0 kg/ha and no herbicide application), and three plant geometries [30×10 cm, 20×20 cm (two seeds/hill), and 20×15 cm] on soil properties, growth, and yield of groundnut. Results indicated that the soil physical properties such as rate of water loss/day was highest with white polyethylene film mulch, the hydraulic conductivity of the soil was significantly more with black polyethylene film mulch, and soil bulk density and percentage of pore space did not differ between the two colors of polyethylene films. The rate of water loss was highest with plots with no herbicide, whereas the hydraulic conductivity of the soil was more with herbicide‐applied treatments. However, the bulk density and pore space did not differ significantly. The plant geometry did not have any significant influence on any of the soil physical properties. With regard to soil microorganisms, the bacterial and fungal population was significantly higher in black polyethylene film mulch at all the three stages of observation, whereas no significant difference between the colors of polyethylene film mulch was observed for actinomycetes at all the stages of observations. Interestingly, no variation in the population of soil microflora was observed between the herbicide and no‐herbicide treatments. The soil‐available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), at harvest, was significantly higher with white polyethylene film mulch, whereas crop NPK uptake was higher with black polyethylene film mulch. The soil‐available NPK and crop uptake was higher with herbicide application. The evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2; soil respiration) was significantly influenced by polyethylene film mulch and herbicides, and the evolution of CO2 was altered by the plant geometry. The crop dry‐matter production, pegging percentage, pod setting ratio number of matured pods/plant, and pod yield were significantly higher under black polyethylene mulch. Herbicide application significantly improved the majority of the growth and yield attributes and significantly higher pod yield was obtained with herbicide application. However, most of the yield and growth attributes and pod yield were not significantly influenced by the different plant geometries studied."
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00103620801925919
"Groundnut response to irrigation and sowing time on a deep loamy sand in a subtropical monsoon region - A 3-year field study was conducted to evaluate the individual and interactive effects of four irrigation schedules viz. 0, 1, 2 and 3 irrigations based on phenological growth stages and two times of sowing, viz. June and July, on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown on a deep, well drained, loamy sand in northwest India. The crop sown around June 20 with a pre-sowing irrigation made greater use of the profile-stored water and seasonal rain, to produce, on average, 600 kg ha−1 (34%) higher pod yield than the traditional practice of sowing the crop in July with the onset of monsoon rain. The yield advantage of the June over the July sowing was greater in the unirrigated crop (82%) than the crop irrigated once at pegging (19%) or twice at pegging and pod formation (40%). Compared with no irrigation, one irrigation at the pegging stage and two irrigations at pegging and pod formation stages resulted in mean pod yield increases of 389 (25%) and 888 (58%) kg ha−1, respectively. The third irrigation at flowering produced no additional benefit. For comparable yields, the June sowing of the crop required 1–2 irrigations fewer than the July sowing. The results show that the crucial timing for a single irrigation was pod formation in the June-sown crop and pegging in the July-sown crop."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0378429086900365
"Soil suitability for the production of rice, groundnut, and cassava in the peri-urban Niayes zone, Senegal"
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016719871530026X
"Effect of mulch on soil temperature, moisture, weed infestation and yield of groundnut in northern Vietnam - Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the chief foreign exchange earning crops for Vietnam. However, owing to lack of appropriate management practices, the production and the area under cultivation of groundnut have remained low. Mulches increase the soil temperature, retard the loss of soil moisture, and check the weed growth, which are the key factors contributing to the production of groundnut. On-farm trials were conducted in northern Vietnam to study the impact of mulch treatments and explore economically feasible and eco-friendly mulching options. The effect of three mulching materials (polythene, rice straw and chemical) on weed infestation, soil temperature, soil moisture and pod yield were studied. Polythene and straw mulch were effective in suppressing the weed infestation. Different mulching materials showed different effects on soil temperature. Polythene mulch increased the soil temperature by about 6 °C at 5 cm depth and by 4 °C at 10 cm depth. Mulches prevent soil water evaporation retaining soil moisture. Groundnut plants in polythene and straw mulched plots were generally tall, vigorous and reached early flowering. Use of straw as mulch provides an attractive and an environment friendly option in Vietnam, as it is one of the largest rice growing countries with the least use of rice straw. Besides, it recycles plant nutrients effectively."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378429005000560
"Effect of planting geometry and nitrogen management on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) in loamy sand soil of Rajasthan"
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bharat_Meena2/publication/265425632_Effect_of_planting_geometry_and_nitrogen_management_on_groundnut_Arachis_hypogaea_in_loamy_sand_soil_of_Rajasthan/links/5784c35408ae3f355b4bbf5e/Effect-of-planting-geometry-and-nitrogen-management-on-groundnut-Arachis-hypogaea-in-loamy-sand-soil-of-Rajasthan.pdf