CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES FOR RESILIENT GROUNDNUT-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS

Abstract

In India, among the nine oilseed crops, groundnut ranks third in area and production (5.33 Mha and 7.40 M tonnes) after soybean and rapeseed and mustard, but second in productivity (1374 kg/ha) next only to castor (average of 2010-11 to 2013-14, IIOR). However, productivity of groundnut in India is much lower when compared with USA (4537kg/ha), China (3573kg/ha) and world average (~1700 kg/ha). Cultivation of groundnut in less fertile soils under rainfed conditions, lack of proper management practices like non-adoption of good quality seed of varieties recommended for the region, optimum plant stand, plant nutrition, plant protection measures, harvest losses in heavy soils, less favourable climatic conditions etc. are among the major reasons for low yield of groundnut in India. Gujarat has largest area and production of groundnut in India, but yield levels are moderate mainly due to unsuitability of soil, and moisture deficit stress at different growing stages of crop. To exacerbate these effects, climatic variabilities are becoming increasingly conspicuous mainly in the form of unpredictable rain pattern and temperature regimes affecting groundnut yield in the country. This underlines the need to make available suitable technologies to the farmers to make production systems climate resilient. With the sincere efforts of scientists, technicians and field staff a number of technologies have been developed in the country which are helpful in minimizing the adverse impacts of climate variabilities on groundnut. Besides, farmers also follow innovative approaches based on their experiences and local conditions. There is need to bring together this important information and make available to farming community through all means of extension. With this objective, authors have attempted to bring together scattered pieces of knowledge on the subject in the form of this technical bulletin. Hope it will be useful to the farmers in their efforts for sustainable intensification of groundnut based cropping systems in the country in the face of ever increasing evident climate variabilities.