Section 1: The Groundnut Plant
To produce groundnuts successfully, farmers need to consider each of the following steps found in this production guide.
Introduction
Groundnuts are an important crop in Malawi and contribute to food security and farm income. To produce groundnuts successfully, farmers need to consider each of the following steps found in this production guide. The guide also includes three production packages that growers can select based on the yield potential and quality they want, the resources that are available to buy and their ability to afford these inputs and technologies.
Section 1. The Groundnut Plant
Groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L., or peanut) originated on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains in South America. This plant was slowly domesticated and transported across the world by traders. The plant is unique in that the above-ground flowers produce fruit or pods that migrate on pegs to the soil surface and develop underground into what we know as a groundnut. Pod size can vary considerably among varieties. Spanish, Valencia, and Virginia botanical type groundnuts are grown throughout the world depending upon market demand and feasibility of production. Spanish and Virginia types are the major variety types grown in Africa including Malawi for both domestic consumption and regional trading. Groundnuts express an indeterminate growth habit which reflects both vegetative and reproductive growth at the same time. [Figures 1.1 and 1.2] This growth habit results in a wide range of pod maturity on a single plant at harvest. This habit creates an advantage by increasing resilience and allowing groundnuts to compensate for stresses during the growing season. It also creates a disadvantage because pods do not mature at the same time, making the decision of when to dig difficult. While the length of major growth stages or development stages can vary, Table 1.1 provides estimates that may be used for groundnuts in Malawi.
