Groundnut sets its pods underground, so the soil matters more than for most crops.
What decides the crop
- Loose, well-drained, sandy-loam soil lets the pegs push in and makes lifting easy; heavy clay breaks pods and leaves them in the ground.
- Calcium at flowering (gypsum applied around the start of pegging) fills the pods. Shortage shows as empty "pops".
- Even moisture during pegging and pod fill: drought here cuts yield, and drought plus heat invites aflatoxin.
- Harvest on time: lift when most pods show dark veins inside the shell, then dry quickly to about 8–9% moisture.
Mistake to avoid
Leaving lifted plants in the rain. Wet pods mould within days and the whole lot can be rejected by buyers.
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