Bridging the yield gap of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) through improved agro-technologies- A case study in Gujarat plains and hilly region

The present investigation was carried out to maximize the yield of groundnut through appropriate nutrient management practices. Three distinct treatments based on to package mode in groundnut viz., 1) Farmers’ practice as a Control, 2) Practice adopted by the Progressive Farmers, and 3) Improved (Integrated Crop Management) Practices, popularly called as ICM practice) were taken at ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research (falls under Gujarat Plains and Hilly Region) both in spring/summer and kharif 2022 in a randomized block design layout with three replications. Varieties belonging to both Spanish Bunch (‘TG 37A’) and Virginia Bunch (‘KDG 128’) habit groups were taken up for the study. The ICM practice consisted of Rhizobium (Consortia viz., IGR 6 or IGR 40 at 1.25 kg ha⁻¹ and PGPR ‘NUTBOOST’ at 1.25 kg ha⁻¹), FYM 5 t ha⁻¹, recommended NPK at 25:50:25 kg ha⁻¹ and 500 kg ha⁻¹ of gypsum including soil application of Tricoderma viride at 2.5 kg ha⁻¹ (amalgamated with 500 kg of FYM ha⁻¹). The ‘control plot’ was applied with no FYM; and seed treatment with only fungicide i.e. carbendazim + mancozeb was carried out without bio-control agents. The ‘Practice adopted by Progressive Farmers’ included FYM at 7-8 t ha⁻¹, NPK at 25-50-50 kg ha⁻¹, foliar spray with micronutrient mixture Grade-IV (25 g per 15 liter of water) at flowering and pod formation stages, seed treatment with fungicide (carbendazim + mancozeb), insecticide (Imidacloprid) + PSB + KSB + Rhizobium culture and Trichoderma @ 2.5 kg ha⁻¹ with 500 kg FYM as soil application. The study revealed that higher values of yield and its attributes in cultivar ‘TG 37A’ viz., pod yield (2925 and 2064 kg ha⁻¹), shelling per cent (66.2 and 69.4%), seed index (35.0 and 32.1) along with favorable economics such as higher net return ( 129875 and 83641) and BCR (2.48 and 1.74) were realized with ICM practice followed during spring-summer and kharif seasons, respectively, despite continuous rain and flooding condition persisted during critical stages of crop growth (including flowering, pegging and later stages) during kharif. This higher crop performance under ICM Practice was followed by progressive farmers’ practices and control (farmers’ practices). With KDG 128, pod yield (3625 and 3221 kg ha⁻¹), shelling per cent (72.4 and 68.7%), seed index (33.3 and 33.6g), net return ( 182453 and 155303) and BCR of (3.41 and 3.13) were realized during the seasons viz., spring-summer and kharif 2022, respectively. This very high productivity and economic output were also realized during spring-summer season due to lesser stresses. KDG 128, a Virginia Bunch outperformed over the Spanish Bunch variety (TG 37A) due to higher yield realization and favorable economics across the season and cultivation practice. On soil parameters, almost similar soil nutrient availability with little variations under different plots (low to medium fertility and normal EC) both at start and at the end of the experiment was observed. However, NPK uptake (through seed and haulm) and economics were favoured with Improved ICM practice. It was inferred from the above study that adoption of ICM practice helped in realizing higher and stable yields in groundnut along with improved availability of plant nutrients, better growth of plants and higher economic returns. Also, keeping in consideration the negative impact of excessive use of chemical fertilizers on environment and high costs involved in the production of N and P fertilizers and their use as nutrient-inputs, the use of PGPR-NUTBOOST as seed treatment tested in our study seems to be a promising alternative for profitable crop production and recovery of degraded soils in a sustainable manner.