Assessing the Effects of Chitosan on Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Growth and Productivity

Background: Groundnut, also known as peanut is a vital crop worldwide, valued for its oil and protein-rich seeds. However, globally the production of groundnut is constrained by a number of biotic and abiotic factors, which significantly reduce yield. Among these, seed borne pathogen plays a major role.In order to manage plant disease and increase the yield, chitosan was used in this study since it is a natural polymer derived from chitin found in crustacean shells. Methods: Groundnut seeds were treated with chitosan 1.5 and 2.0% along with bio-control agents and carbendazim.Treated seeds were sown in field and observations viz., disease incidence (%), field emergence (%), plant height, flowering characters, yield attributing pod and seed characters were recorded. Result: The results revealed that no disease incidence was recorded in chitosan treated seeds. Seeds treated with chitosan 2% increased the field emergence and plant height up to 13 and 17 per cent over control, respectively. Chitosan 2% treated seeds-initiated flowers 4 days earlier than the control seeds and also quickly attained the 50% flowering. Apart from this, seeds treated with chitosan 2% increased the pod yield and seed yield ha-1 up to 27 and 29 per cent, respectively. In between the biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis showed an increased yield and yield attributing parameters.