Effect of mulch on yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) in Nepal

Abstract

Weeds are the most important biotic constraints to groundnut production in Nepal. They hinder the plant growth and increase the cost of production. A field based study was conducted from June, 2022 to December, 2022 at Oilseed Research Program, Sarlahi, Nepal to study the effect of mulch on the productivity of groundnut. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with 7 treatments viz., rice husk, rice straw, black polythene sheet, Lantana camara, living mulch, sawdust and control in three replications. The fertilizer dose used for groundnut was 20:40:20 NPK kg per hectare. The pod yield in rice husk mulch and living mulch treatments were significantly higher (2.07 and 1.84 tons per hectare, respectively) whereas the lowest yield (0.83 tons/hectare) was observed in plot with no treatment). Lower weed infestation with weed biomass 0.046 tons/ha for narrow leaf weeds and 0.021 tons/ha for broad leaf weeds was observed in L. camara mulching. Rice husk mulching produced significantly higher number of pods (29 pods per plant) with the highest benefit cost ratio (1.15) whereas black polythene mulching produced lower number of pods (23 pods per plant) with lowest benefit cost ratio (-0.33). Conclusively, the study's finding suggests that rice husk can be used as a mulching material to increase the productivity of groundnut.