Aung Win Htut - How to grow peanuts and other legumes

1. Peanut cultivation

Soil and Climate - Peanuts need a soil pH of (5.5 - 7.0). They grow best in loamy and sandy soils and do not grow well in clay, red loam, or red gravel soils. The ideal soil composition for peanuts is (sand: loam: clay 75:15:10). Therefore, the soil composition of tropical soils is (80:15:5), so a mixture of organic fertilizers, leaf compost, and compost should be used.

It prefers full sun and temperatures of (85 - 95) degrees Fahrenheit. It thrives and yields well when it receives (25 - 35) inches of rainfall. However, rainfall exceeding (40) inches will reduce yields.

Types - There are two types: groundnut and groundnut. Groundnut (rain) cultivation - In sandy soils, plowing is done in advance from March so that it can be planted as soon as the rains begin. In slightly sandy soils, plowing should be done in advance in March or April. After plowing, plow the soil two or three times and remove the weeds. After planting and harvesting the winter crops, plow the soil one or two times and mark the soil. By improving the summer plowing, planting can begin when the first rain of the month (0.5) - inches falls at a time. If the rains are not yet sufficient for planting peanuts, plow the soil two or three times to improve the plowing.

Only when the soil is ready for planting should the peanuts be peeled and the seeds extracted. It is important to plant the seeds evenly in the planting rows. Peanut seeds that are planted in the planting rows are lying on the ground and are not sure of germination. If the seedlings sprout, when plowed with a harrow, iron harrow, or two-bladed harrow, the plants are crushed by the plow and the plants die, affecting the yield.

There are two types of seeding methods, one is following a row-mounted plow and the other is using a seed drill. In following a row-mounted plow and sowing by hand, the plow is first plowed in rows with the tines spaced 2 feet apart on the prepared soil, and then the rows are cut. The seeds are sown in rows where the rows intersect. By using a seed drill, the seeds are planted at a uniform depth and the plants are planted evenly.

The peanuts start to sprout (4-5) days after planting. After 22 days, the flowers start to open and after about 1 month and a half, the pods start to fall. Depending on the weather conditions, the seedlings should be planted in a frame after 1 to 1.5 months. After planting, the seedlings should not be planted or weeded from 45 days after planting until harvest.

Planting of groundnuts (Kai, Kyun) - In the lands near rivers and lakes, the land is planted after the water level has dropped, so it is planted in October and November. When the water level of the rivers and lakes has dropped, the soil is ploughed. When the soil is slightly dry, the soil is ploughed with a roller or a wooden block. (You can also plough the soil with bamboo sticks.) The ploughing and ploughing should be done about 3 times. After each ploughing, the soil should be covered with a wooden block. This will prevent moisture loss and keep the soil moist. Use (4-5) tines to harrow the soil for at least (10-12) times to obtain soil. When the soil is obtained, beat it evenly with a wooden block. Then, draw a line with a four-tine harrow at a distance of 15 inches and sow the seeds.

In Kai Kyun land, seeding ploughs should be used more. Since it is often dry during peanut planting, the soil is coarser than in rainfed land, so it absorbs moisture more easily. Therefore, seeding ploughs should be used to make it easier for the seeds and the soil to find moisture. Sometimes, if the soil is moist, using a seeding plough instead of a seeding plough improves germination. It is also possible to plant by pulling the furrows forward to straighten the rows with a plough and then manually spreading the seeds. Whichever method is used, it is important to straighten the rows so that the peanut seeds in the rows germinate evenly. After sowing, it is also necessary to harrow.

Planting groundnuts in succession - Groundnuts are mainly grown in the lower part of Myanmar after rice. When planting groundnuts, do not plant them in the same land as rice. They should be planted in the same land as rice. If you plant rice, it will be too late to plant groundnuts, and the moisture will be depleted later, so you cannot plant groundnuts in succession. Only by planting rice, you can harvest earlier and plant groundnuts earlier.

When harvesting rice to plant peanuts, it is necessary to harvest the stalks close to the base. Otherwise, if there are any stubbles left, it is necessary to harvest them close to the base with a stubble scythe or a stubble cutter. (You can also clean them up with a grass hoe.) Then, the stubbles should be piled up in a field and cleaned. Sometimes, they are spread out in the field (4-5 days) and burned to make the soil loose and kill some pests. The stubble ash increases the production of phosphorus.

After clearing all the stubble, check the soil moisture and dryness and make a furrow (4-8 furrows). If there is a lot of debris and stubble, make a harrow. The soil where peanuts are grown is usually sandy, so be careful when preparing it to get the soil loose. Since the soil is sandy, make deep furrows with a plow. Be careful not to leave large clods when plowing. After plowing, cover it with a harrow. If the soil is wet, let it dry and harrow, harrow, and roll it with a roller. If the soil is not yet broken, hit it with a knife with teeth. Hit it with a knife (3-4 furrows) and press it with a roller for the last time, and it is ready for planting.

After the soil is ready, the groundnuts are planted in a spiral pattern. In the case of plowing, the groundnut seeds are planted after one row of plowing. When the next row is planted, the original groundnut seeds are already covered. This method of planting is more efficient in terms of moisture and labor. When the seeds germinate, they are planted in rows, but they are not straight, and the distance between rows is not correct due to the spiral planting.

Harvesting - Peanuts should be harvested when they are 115 to 120 days old. If they are later than that, the peanuts will start to sprout. The peanut plants planted in rows should be harvested one by one and placed in rows. Then they are harvested by hand. It is easier to harvest the peanut pods after drying them for about 2 days than to harvest them immediately after harvesting. The harvested peanut pods should be dried for about 5 days. During the drying process, the peanut pods should be stirred and turned up and down to dry evenly. When they are dry, they should be crushed to remove the hairs and nuts. Another method is to harvest each plant individually and harvest the pods immediately.

Seed storage - Peanuts intended for seed should be dried in the sun and stored in dry, airtight tin containers, either in bundles or in individual peanut bundles. The containers should be sealed with a lid to prevent air and moisture from entering the container.

If you want to store it in a bucket, you should put cow dung inside and outside the bucket, and then add peanut shells to a thickness of about 6 inches, not including the bottom. Then, cover the peanut shells with the bucket and add the peanut shells again as above. When the bucket is full, cover the mouth of the bucket with sand bags and cover with cow dung.

Fertilizer - There is no need to fertilize the soil when growing groundnuts (Kai-Kyun). Fertilizer is usually not used in the case of groundnuts with a single crop. However, in poor soil areas, it is more productive to apply ammonium phosphate at the rate of 10% per acre. When growing groundnuts (rain), apply cow dung at the rate of (6-8) cartloads per acre before the rains and mix it in with a plow to mix it in. If you want to apply peat fertilizer, apply about 6 cartloads per acre and mix it with a plow and cover it. -

The best fertilizer for peanuts depends on the soil type and climate. If the soil type requires a lot of nitrogen, ammonium sulfate fertilizer should be applied. On soil types requiring a lot of phosphorus,