Study on Key Techniques for Precise and Quantitative Stable and High Yield Cultivation of Peanuts in Eastern Henan Region

Ruhong FU Jihua WU

Abstract Peanut is a main industrial crop in the eastern Henan region. Its benefits directly affect the economic income of local farmers. Therefore， scientific cultivation of peanuts is an important way to increase farmersю income in the eastern Henan region. This paper firstly introduced the key techniques for precise and quantitative， stable and high yield cultivation of peanuts in the eastern Henan region. From the field selection， scientific seed selection， precise quantitative sowing， fertilizer and water management， chemical control technologies， prevention and control of pests and diseases， and timely harvesting， it made an indepth analysis. It is expected to provide data references for further improvement of stale and high yield cultivation technical system， and provide technical guidance for raising the peanut planting level of peanut growers.

Key words Peanut; High yield; Cultivation technique; Yingquan District

In eastern Henan Province， the climate is adaptable， the soil is fertile， it is suitable for planting various crops. Eastern Henan region is an important production area for peanuts in China. Good light， heat， water and gas provide better conditions for the growth of peanuts， thus it has high growth potential. Peanut contains much oil and protein. Thus， it has very high demand both at home and abroad. For a long time， peanut growers lack scientific guidance for planting peanuts. As a result， the peanut yield is low. In addition to less and less of farmers’ land， farmers have weaker enthusiasm for cultivating peanuts. This greatly reduces the peanut planting area and the income of peanut growers. In view of this， it is particularly important to improve the stable and high yield cultivation techniques for peanuts. In this paper， we firstly introduced the key techniques for precise and quantitative， stable and high yield cultivation of peanuts in the eastern Henan region. From the field selection， scientific seed selection， precise quantitative sowing， fertilizer and water management， chemical control technologies， prevention and control of pests and diseases， and timely harvesting， we carried out an indepth analysis， in the hope of providing data references for further improvement of stale and high yield cultivation technical system， and provide technical guidance for raising the peanut planting level of peanut growers.

Preparation before Sowing

Soil selection

For peanut cultivation， it is generally necessary to select loose sandy soil， with deep mellow soil layer， neutral or slightly acid， good drainage and fertility[1].

Rotation land

It is required to keep in mind that peanut yield will be reduced in case of continuous cropping. According to the experiment， peanut pods will be reduced by more than 15% for one year of continuous cropping， and the yield will be reduced for more than 30% in case of more than two years of continuous cropping. Therefore， it is necessary to keep in mind that the soil must be disinfected to improve the soil fertility.

Land preparation before peanut sowing

It is necessary to select large peanut seeds. Such peanuts contain high fat and need much water and oxygen for germination. Therefore， the principle for land preparation before planting is that the soil must be loose， broken， and not compacted， and the water can be moderately drained.

Seed Selection and Preparation

Seed sunning

About one week before sowing the peanuts， it is necessary to sun the peanut pods for 2-3 days， to improve the soil vitality and germination uniformity. Besides， in the process of sunning， it will kill the pathogenic bacteria on the pods， and reduce the incidence rate of peanuts[2].

Seed selection

When selecting seeds， it is necessary to firstly remove the shells and then reject seeds whose variety characteristics not conforming to the requirements， such as peanuts with peculiar shape， buds， insects， and rotten peanuts. Then， it is necessary to select peanut kernels. Plump and full peanut kernels are preferred. Otherwise， the peanut yield may decline. Peanut varieties suitable for planting in eastern Henan region mainly include Shangyan 9658， Shangyan 9807， Shanghua 4， Shanghua 5， and Shanghua 6.

Removing peanut shells

Peanut shells should not be removed too early， because after the shells are removed， the peanut seeds will absorb water， strengthen the respiration， accelerate enzyme activity， promote conversion of substances， consume much water， and consequently lead to decline of the germination ability.

Precise and Quantitative Sowing

Ambient conditions for sowing

The germination of peanut seeds needs a suitable temperature， about 12-15. Thus， the sowing should be carried out in soil layer of 5 cm and constant soil temperature above 12→， as listed in Table 1. If conditions permit， moderately early sowing can extend the peanut growth period， realize early flowering， bring more side branches， make roots developed， and create conditions for high yield.

Sowing methods

According to the planting method， the sowing methods can be divided into open field sowing and plastic mulching sowing. The sowing density is 1 plant per 0.05 m2， oneholetwoseed sowing; the sowing depth is about 5 cm， to achieve the principle of not sowing deep if dry and not sowing shallow if wet， and suppress in suitable time after covering the soil. From Table 1， it can be seen that the sowing density of 0.05 m2 is favorable for increasing the yield， and at the sowing depth of 5 cm， the germination rate is the highest.

Field Management

Inspection of seedlings and replanting

In 3-4 days after the germination of peanuts， for the plots with serious insufficient seedlings and broken ridges， it is required to transplant and replant in time， and the row spacing of transplanted seedlings is determined according to the needs of cultivation. The transplanted seedlings should be bred firstly; when the seedlings grow to 3-5 pieces of leaves， transplantation may be carried out in the evening or on overcast or rainy days， to improve their vitality[4].

Proper cleaning of stem base

After the seedlings become uniform， combined with the first time intertillage， remove weeds around the peanuts， open the soil to expose the cotyledon. In this process， pay attention not to damage the root of peanut seedlings. About 15 days later， backfill the soil， and do not injury the cotyledon.

Precise and quantitative fertilizer and water management

There are large differences in water requirements pf peanuts between different growth stages （as listed in Table 2）.

（1） Seedling uniform stage： it is necessary to create a relatively dry soil environment， to facilitate the peanut growth， make the peanut plants short but strong， and also promote deep root system. At this time， fertilization is generally not required.

（2） Pegging stage： this stage is the critical stage for water demands of peanuts. Also， this stage is the period in which the peanuts are most sensitive to water. Damp water is favorable for pegging. At this stage， it is necessary to apply the NPK quickacting fertilizers along with watering.

（3） Management of the pod bearing stage： this stage is the period in which peanuts need the highest volume of water. Thus， the soil should be damp. It should not only satisfy the growth of pod bearing， but also guarantee that the pods are not rotten due to excessive water. At this stage， the NPK quickacting fertilizers are applied through watering.

（4） Pod filling stage： at this stage， peanuts grow mainly by reproductive growth， the root absorption capacity is decreased， and the leaves turn yellow. At this stage， slight watering is needed to keep the soil water content at about 50%， and to increase the fruit filling rate. Besides， the NPK quickacting fertilizers are applied through watering.

Moderately controlling the vigorous growth

When the peanut seedlings grow vigorously and the rain starts to become more and the ridges are being closed， it is the pod bearing stage. At this stage， it is necessary to use the chemical control drug for the first time. The chemical control drug should be used in small dosage for several times， generally 2-3 times. Generally， chemical control should not be too early or late. After chemical control， it is necessary to strengthen the field management， to prevent the leaf spot and early senescence.

Prevention and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests

In the whole life， peanuts are vulnerable to many kinds of diseases and insect pests， including but not limited to leaf spot， rust disease， root rot， aphid， and red spider， etc. According to the longterm observation of the occurrence of insect pests and diseases during the peanut growth in the field， it is necessary to carry out three times of chemical control.

After germination of peanuts， use 1 000 times solution of 50% carbendazim plus 1 000 times solution of 40% omethoate or 800-1 000 times solution of 38%  oxadixyl copper azoxystrobin strobin plus 1 000-2 000 times solution of 50% O，Odiisopropyls（ethylthiomethyl phosphorodithioate） or  300-500 times solution of 2% ningnanmycin[5]， it can obtain good control effect on peanut root rot， leaf spot disease， stem rot， aphid， etc.， it can not only promote the growth of peanuts， but also solve the problem of dead seedlings during the seedling stage.  At the initial flowering stage， use 800 times solution of bitertanol plus 1 000-1 500 times solution of 40% chlorpyrifos emulsifiable concentrates or 500 times solution of ammoniacopperzinc complex compound plus 2.5% lambdacyhalothrin 375 ml/hm2， spray with 450 kg of water， it can control peanut aphids， Helicoverpa armigera， viral diseases， and Cylindrocladium scoparium.  At peanut podswelling stage， use 43% tebuconazole 225 ml/hm2 and 450 kg of water or 3 000 times solution of 96% hymexazol， it is able to control peanut leaf spot， brown spot and black spot. Peanut rust usually occurs after the flowering period， and can be controlled by spraying 800 times solution of 75% chlorothalonil and 3 000-5 000 times of 25% triadimefon wettable powder. For underground pests， 10% or 15% chlorpyrifos granules can be mixed with fine soil for uniform application.

Harvesting in Suitable Time

When the peanut leaves show signs of yellowing and some of the stems and leaves begin to wither， it is the most suitable period for peanut harvesting. Among all experimental varieties， Shanghua 5 has the shortest growth period， the highest kernel rate， largest crude protein content; Shanghua 4 has the maximum 100peanut weight and 100kernel weight， and Shangyan 9658 has the largest fat content， as listed in Table 3.

References

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[2]PENG HY. Analysis on highyield planting techniques of peanuts[J]. Nongmin Zhifu Zhiyou Yuekan， 2015， （18）： 22-23. （in Chinese）

[3]LIN LY. Highyield planting technology of peanuts and application promotion practice[J]. South China Agriculture， 2018， （3）： 50-51. （in Chinese）

[4]WU HL. Application of calcium sulfate in peanut planting[J]. Agricultural Development & Equipments， 2018， （5）： 35-36. （in Chinese）

[5]CHEN LF， XU JY. Pathology of Agricultural Plants[M]. Beijing： China Agriculture Press， 2015. （in Chinese）