Impact of nitrogen and sulphur application on the growth and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogeae L.)

Abstract

The domestic demand for vegetable oils and fats has been rising rapidly, @ 6 per cent per annum, but our domestic output has been increasing at just about 2 per cent per annum. In India, the average yield of most oilseeds is extremely low as compared to other countries of the world. Therefore, field experiments were conducted at an experimental farm, Annamalai University during the Kharif season in 2022 and 2023 to study the effect of nitrogen and sulphur on the growth and yield of groundnut. The experiment consisted of sixteen treatments and was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. The treatment consisted of Factor A (nitrogen levels): 0, 17, 25, 34 Kg N/ha and Factor B (sulphur levels): 0, 20, 40, 60 Kg S/ha. Among the different nitrogen levels tried, application of 34 kg N/ha registered higher growth and yield attributes and yield of groundnut. Regarding sulphur levels, maximum growth, yield attributes and yield of groundnut were influenced by the application of sulphur @ 60 kg/ha (S4). With respect to various interaction effects, the application of 34 kg N/ha along with 60 kg S/ha has a significant effect on growth and yield attributes which ultimately results in the maximum yield of groundnut.