Effect of fertilizers,irrigation and plant density on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L)

Experiments were conducted on sandy clay loam soils of Tirupati Campus of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University for two summer seasons of 1979 and 1980 to study the effect of fertilizers, irrigation and plant density on Spanish groundnut. Three fertilizer schedules (30 kg N, 20 kg P, 50 kg K; 60 kg N, 40 kg P, 10 kg K and 90 kg N, 60 kg P, 150 kg K ha^?1), three schedules of irrigation (irrigation at 25, 50 and 75% depletion of available soil moisture) and three plant densitites (1,000,000; 666,000; and 444,000 plants per ha) were tested in 3³ factorial confounded design with two replications. Groundnut responded to 60 kg N, 40 kg P and 10 kg K ha^?1 due to delayed sowings in 1979. However, response to fertilisers was marginal in 1980, when the sowings were done in optimum time. Pod yield tended to be maximum when irrigations were scheduled at 25% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) in 1979 and at 50% DASM in 1980. Plant density of 444,000 plants per ha was optimum in both the years. Interaction of fertilizers and plant density, fertilizers and irrigation and plant density and irrigation increased the pod yield of groundnut, only when the sowings were delayed.