Influence of weather on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield, growth and development in central zone of Kerala

An experiment was conducted to study the influence of weather parameters on growth indices of groundnut using split plot design with four planting dates viz., November 1st, November 15th, December 1st, and December 15th. The groundnut variety TNAU CO-6 was used in the experiment. The seasonal variation of different biotic events of groundnut was pronounced in the study. The result indicated that, for all the growth characters such as plant height, number of leaves and dry matter accumulation were found to be highest during November 1st planting. The highest pod yield, shelling percentage and harvest index were also recorded during this period. Number of days taken to reach each phenophases varies significantly with date of planting. The maximum duration was recorded during December 1st planting while minimum during November 1st planting. The influences of weather parameters on various critical stages of groundnut were distinct. As the crop is short day plant, negative influence of sunshine hours during flowering period was much noticeable hence adjusting date of planting coinciding with short days favors the yield.