How to manage peanuts to achieve high yield?

Peanut is an oil crop widely grown around the world. It can be eaten raw, fried, boiled, deep-fried, or made into peanut butter, peanut oil and other forms. They are also an important ingredient in many dishes and snacks. So how can we manage peanuts to achieve high yields?

1. Seed preparation before sowing

Before sowing, the peanut seeds should be dried in the shell. Choose a sunny morning, spread the seeds to a thickness of about 10 cm, and turn them over every 1 to 2 hours. Continue drying for 2 to 3 days. The best time to shell the seeds is 10 to 15 days before sowing. After shelling, large first- or second-grade seeds with large, uniform kernels, full grains, good color and no mechanical damage should be selected as seeds, and small third-grade seeds should be eliminated.

2. Soil preparation and deep tillage

Since peanuts are a crop that blooms above ground and bears fruit underground, and has a well-developed root system, they require a deep soil layer and good soil structure. Therefore, appropriate deep tillage should be carried out before winter or in early spring. For heavy clay soil, an appropriate amount of fine sand can be added to improve the soil's air permeability. For plots with thick sandy soil, after deep plowing, 10 to 15 cm thick clay should be pressed into the bottom of the plow to form a soil layer that retains water and fertilizer.

3. Ridging and fertilization

In the early stages of peanut growth, the number of root nodules is small and the nitrogen fixation capacity is limited. In the middle and late stages, the fruit needles have already entered the soil, so fertilization is not effective at this time. Therefore, applying sufficient basal fertilizer is crucial to the growth of peanuts. Usually, sufficient base fertilizer is applied at one time during tillage and land preparation before sowing to meet the fertilizer needs of the entire growth cycle.

4. Suitable for sowing to ensure full and strong seedlings

When the ground temperature in the 5 cm soil layer is stable at above 12°C, sowing can begin, usually about half a month earlier than bare land cultivation, between April 20 and May 5. Use large ridges and double rows for sowing, keep the hole distance at 16 to 18 cm, sow 8,000 to 10,000 holes per mu, and sow 2 seeds in each hole; the sowing depth is controlled at 3 to 4 cm.

5. Field Management

Early management: Field management should be strengthened during the seedling stage to ensure good development of the root system, prevent and control pests and diseases, and promote early growth of seedlings.

Mid-term management: During the flowering needle to fruiting period, the main task is to control the growth of branches and leaves above the ground, while promoting the development of underground fruit needles and young fruits.

Late management: During the maturity stage, the focus is on the enlargement of the pods and the filling of the kernels. In management, we should focus on drought resistance and waterlogging drainage to prevent fruit rot, while also controlling diseases and pests and protecting the plants to ensure a good harvest.

The above is an introduction to the key points of peanut planting. If you want to achieve high yields in peanut planting, it is very important to master field management techniques.