Peanuts

Scientific name: Arachis hypogaea
Family: Fabaceae
Common names: Earth nuts, Goobers, Goober peas, Ground nuts, Pindas, Pinders, Manila nuts, Monkey nuts

Growth stages	Pests  For weeds and diseases please see further down on this page. For rodents, snails and slugs please click here
Seed
Sown seeds	Ants
Seedling Stage
Roots	White grub
Stem	Cutworm White grub
Leaves	Cutworm
Vegetative Stage
Leaves	Aphids Corn earworm Leaf miner Leafhoppers (Jassids) Spider mites Thrips
Reproductive Stage
Flowers	Thrips
Maturation stage
Pods, Beans	White grub Wireworm

Weeds

Grasses
Sedges
Broadleaf

Diseases

Fungal
Bacterial
Viral

Agro-ecology

nPeanut when used as intercrop for upland corn and planted along the contour reduces soil runoff (Presbitero, 2003). The plant also reduces the corn borer population for it serves as the hiding place for the beneficial insects.

There is an increase in the yield of peanut when intercropped with early maturing pigeon pea (ICRISAT, 2001).

Peanut is a good intercrop for upland rice, sorghum, okra, sugarcane, and sunflower. To get a good yield however, proper planting distance should be observed along with the other recommended cultural practices (Palomar, 1998).

Further information

To improve the peanut production in developing countries, international breeding programs (USDA, ICRISAT, BORIF, etc) are developing cultivars that are high yielding, early maturing (less than 80 days), disease resistant (rust, leaf-spots, bacterial wilt, aflatoxin), and tolerance to acidic soils.

Peanut is a 3rd major source of oilseed next to soybean and cottonseed. It is used as food in Asia, eaten either raw or cooked.

For more than 25 years, India, China, and the US are the leading peanut producers and they grow about 70% of the world crop.

A biopesticide, Aspergillus flavus AF36 is now available for the control of aflatoxin in cottonseed in the US. AF36 is a naturally occurring strain of Aspergillus flavus that does not produce aflatoxin. When applied in the soil surface, it reduces the multiplication of the aflatoxin producing fungi (Rutgers University, 2003).

External links

• University of Florida. Conservation tillage peanut production. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AG/AG18700.pdf
• Purdue University. Peanut. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Arachis_hypogaea.html

References

• CABI. (2001): Crop protection compendium. Global module, 3rd edition. CAB International Publishing. Wallingford, UK.
• CABI. (2000): Crop protection compendium. Global module, 2nd edition. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.
• CABI. (2004): Crop protection compendium. 2004 Edition. CAB International Publishing. Wallingford, UK.
• Palomar, M. (1998): Peanut in the Philippine food system. Visayas State College of Agriculture. Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.
• PCCARD. (1986): The Philippines recommends for peanut. PCARRD. Los banos, Laguna, Philippines.
• Presbitero, A. (2003): Soil erosion studies on steep slopes of humid-tropic Philippines. Griffith University, Australia.
• Putnam, D.; et. al. (1992): Alternative field crops manual: Peanut. University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Products.