Pod yield of summer planted groundnut in relation to land configurations and irrigation schedules

In the field study under subtropical environment, the pod productivity of summer planted groundnut was assessed in relation to three land configurations (flat, furrow and furrow followed by earthing-up to a low raised bed before peg initiation) and four irrigation schedules involving 5-7cm irrigations at flowering, at pegging, at flowering+100mm CPE and at pegging + 100mm CPE. Land configurations had a significant effect on the pod productivity. The average pod yield in flat, furrow and furrow-earthing was, 16.0, 16.0 and 18.2 q/ha, respectively. A better pod development causing the maximum pod yield under the furrow-earthing was attributable to a higher rooting density of 3.55 mg/cm³, lower soil bulk density of 1.38 g/cc and a reduced soil strength of 0.41 MPa than the respective values of 3.34, 1.51 and 0.61 under flat, and 3.45, 1.53 and 0.61 in furrow configurations. The irrigation schedules had non-significant impact in the realization of pod yield during 2001 due to excessive rainfall during the cropping season. However, in 2002, irrigation at flowering+100mm CPE and pegging+100mm CPE that were at par & outyieldid the sole irrigation applied at the flowering or the pegging stage. The irrigation at flowering+100 mm CPE and pegging+100mm CPE registered an increase of 34.7 and 25.9% over flowering, and 44.5 and 35.0% over pigging, respectively.