Dry Matter Accumulation and Biomass Partitioning of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) as Influenced by Genotypes and Sulphur Levels

Abstract

Groundnut is an important oilseed crop and belongs to the family Fabaceae. However, the productivity of groundnut in India is less as compared to average productivity of the world. Variety is a key factor that affects the development, productivity, and quality of groundnut. The main cause of the low groundnut production is an unbalanced and insufficient usage of nutrients. Because groundnut is a legume-oilseed crop, it has a high phosphorus, calcium, and Sulphur demand. Therefore, this field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2023 at Crop Physiology Field Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four genotypes (G1-MH 4, G2-HNG 10, G3-HNG 69 and G4- GNH 804) in main plots and four sulphur levels (S1-Control, S2-20 kg S/ha, S3-40 kg S/ha and S4-60 kg S/ha) in sub-plots with three replications. The results revealed that among genotypes GNH 804 recorded significantly higher total dry matter accumulation and its partitioning into different plant parts at different growth stages in groundnut. This was followed by HNG 69. Among the sulphur levels, the 60 kg S/ha treatment recorded the highest dry matter accumulation, and this was closely followed by the sulphur level 40 kg S/ha. So, to obtain higher total dry matter accumulation and its partitioning, the genotype GNH 804 may be fertilized with 40 kg S/ha.