![]()
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
1.1 Agro-techniques: Introduction
1.2 Focus on Crop Production
1.3 Present Scenario of the Research
1.4 Methodology and Plan of Work
1.5 Data Tabulation and Analysis
1.6 Data Interpretation and Justification in Context to Groundnut Agriculture
1.1 AGRO-TECHNIQUES: INTRODUCTION
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), belonging to family Fabaceae, is an important annual legume in the world for oilseed, food, and animal feed. Being a soil nitrogen-fixing crop, it is safe, cheap, and eco-friendly for the soil environment. It is a good source of vegetable oil and protein for humans. It is an exhaustive crop and therefore, its proper crop husbandry has become a must. In this chapter, we will consider the significance and importance of the crop with different sources and methods of nitrogenous fertilizers as well as sowing dates and population densities (seed rates), based on intensive field experimentations under local conditions.
1.2 FOCUS ON CROP PRODUCTION
In India (during 2013–2014), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is cultivated in an area of 5.53 m ha with a production of 9.67 million tons and a productivity of 1,750 kg/ha. The seeds contain 45–50% edible oil, which is used in the preparation of vanaspati, soaps, cosmetics, and cold creams in addition to common cooking oil. According to Das (1997), groundnut oil is good from both the nutritive and culinary perspective, as it contains high oleic acid (40–50%) and linoleic acid (25–35%). The remaining 50% of the kernel has high quality protein (on an average 25.3%), which is about 1.3 times higher than meat, 2.5 times higher than eggs; carbohydrates (6–24.9%); and minerals and vitamins. The productivity is low as compared to the United States and China due to imbalanced fertilization, uncertainty of monsoons, and poor cultural practices adopted by farmers (Kumar, 2012). Being a leguminous crop efficacy of different sources and methods of nitrogen fertilizers as well as sowing dates and population densities were considered to harvest its optimum yielding ability, as these affect different growth and physiological parameters (Kumar, 2012).
Groundnut is an oilseed crop with 40–50% oil content and grown in nearly 100 countries. The remaining seed protein can be used as a meal for food or feed (25–30% protein) (Ahmed et al., 2007). Groundnut is the thirteenth most important food crop of the world (Hatam and Abbasi, 1994). It is the world’s fourth most important source of edible oil and third most important source of vegetable protein. Groundnut seeds contain high quality edible oil, easily digestible protein, and carbohydrates.
Groundnuts are rich in essential nutrients. Ozcan (2010) explained that among the common cooking and salad oil, the groundnut oil contains 46% of monosaturated fats (primarily oleic acid), 33% of polyunsaturated fats (primarily linoleic acid), and 17% of saturated fats (primarily palmitic acid).
The remaining 50% of the kernel has high quality protein (on an average 25.3%), which is about 1.3 times higher than meat and 2.5 times higher than eggs; carbohydrates (6–24.9%); and minerals and vitamins. The United States Department of Agriculture (2014) provides the following data:
Nutritional value of groundnut per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
Energy | 2,385 kJ (570 kcal) |
Carbohydrates | 21 g |
Sugars | 0.0 g |
Dietary fiber | 9 g |
Fat | 48 g |
Saturated | 7 g |
Monosaturated | 24 g |
Polyunsaturated | 16 g |
Protein | 25 g |
Tryptophan | 0.2445 g |
Threonine | 0.859 g |
Isoleucine | 0.882 g |
Leucine | 1.627 g |
Lysine | 0.901 g |
Methionine | 0.308 g |
Cystine | 0.322 g |
Phenylalanine | 1.300 g |
Tyrosine | 1.020 g |
Valine | 1.052 g |
Arginine | 3.001 g |
Histidine | 0.634 g |
Alanine | 0.997 g |
Aspartic acid | 3.060 g |
Glutamic acid | 5.243 g |
Glycine | 1.512 g |
Proline | 1.107 g |
Serine | 1.236 g |
Vitamins | |
Thiamine (B1) | 0.6 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 12.9 mg |
Pantothenic acid | 1.8 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 0.3 mg |
Folate (B9) | 246 ug |
Vitamin C | 0.0 mg |
Vitamin E | 6.6 mg |
Minerals | |
Calcium | 62 mg |
Iron | 2 mg |
Magnesium | 184 mg |
Manganese | 2.0 mg |
Phosphorus | 336 mg |
Potassium | 332 mg |
Zinc | 3.3 mg |
Other constituents | |
Water | 4.26 g |
The United States Department of Agriculture (2014),
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4831.
Units: ug = microgram, mg = milligram, IU = International Units.
It is grown on 26.4 million ha worldwide with a total production of 36.1 million metric tons, and an average productivity of 1.4 metric tons per hectare (FAO, 2004). China leads in production, followed by India as shown in the following table (Anonymous, 2015).
Rank | Countries | Production |
1 | China | 17.0 |
2 | India | 9.5 |
3 | Nigeria | 3.0 |
4 | United States | 1.9 |
5 | Myanmar | 1.4 |
Total | World | 46 |
In India, groundnut is grown on 5.7 million ha with a production of 4.7 million tons and an average productivity of 0.8 tons/ha during the rainy season. Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of groundnut with 0.74 million ha of area under cultivation (ICRISAT, 2008). Groundnut haulms (vegetative plant parts) provide excellent hay for feeding livestock, being rich in protein and have better palatability and digestibility than other fodder (Singh et al., 2010). Apart from health care, source of fodder, and improved soil fertility, production of groundnut provides a means of livelihood to scores of people. It is also eco-friendly. Moreover, these crops can be intercropped compatibly with sugarcane (a long-term exhaustive crop), as they increase microbial biomass, control weeds and increase nitrogen (N) availability (Suman et al., 2006). This intercropping will also increase the margin of profit and the economic security of small and marginal farmers in sugarcane-dominant districts a...
