A Harvest Day event on spring groundnut was organised at village Mothanwalan in Kapurthala district. The event reflected the growing confidence of farmers in crop diversification initiatives aimed at addressing the serious challenge of rapidly depleting groundwater resources in the state.
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kapurthala, showcased the outstanding results of spring groundnut cultivated over nearly 70 acres by about 15 progressive farmers. The crop has clearly emerged as a superior alternative to spring/summer maize as it requires significantly less irrigation, reducing input costs and ensuring higher net returns.
Explaining the production technology, Dr Mandeep Singh, Assistant Professor (Agronomy), KVK, Kapurthala, said that the optimum sowing window for spring groundnut is the second fortnight of February. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, sowing in farmers’ fields was carried out during the first week of March without adversely affecting crop performance. For effective and efficient weed management, farmers have adopted the application of Stomp (pendimethalin) as a pre-emergence herbicide, followed by Imazethapyr 10 SL as a post-emergence herbicide, which has been found to provide satisfactory and consistent weed control.
He informed that sowing was done on raised beds using seed planters and pneumatic planters. The groundnut variety J-87 matured in about 115–120 days. After harvesting, the produce was sun-dried for three to four days to ensure smooth threshing. The sight of large heaps of groundnut in the fields served as a visible testimony to the crop’s success. The average yield of spring groundnut variety J-87 was recorded at an impressive 15–17 quintals per acre. Progressive farmers shared highly encouraging experiences, highlighting improved profitability, substantial savings in irrigation water and enhanced soil health, which motivated many other farmers to adopt spring groundnut in their cropping systems.
Dr Harinder Singh, In-charge, KVK, Kapurthala, cited the example of progressive farmer Jarnail Singh, who successfully cultivated spring groundnut on 26 acres, clearly demonstrating the crop’s scalability and economic viability. He further pointed out that groundnut, being an environmentally friendly leguminous crop, fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules, enabling farmers to save nearly one to one-and-a-half bags of urea in the succeeding crop.
