Physiological responses of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to moisture stress: A review

There is high a level of fluctuation in the productivity of groundnut depending on the rainfall as 70 per cent of the area is under semi-arid tropics characterized by low and erratic rainfall. Not only the yield but also other yield attributes, growth and development are affected by soil moisture deficit or water stress. Hence, maintenance of optimum soil moisture at critical growth stages is the key factor for achieving higher yields. The knowledge on physiological characters like photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, leaf water potential and water use efficiencies would certainly be helpful in making irrigation scheduling of groundnut and decision support systems that aim at higher productivity.