STANDARDIZATION OF CROP GEOMETRY AND FERTILITY LEVELS FOR GROWTH AND YIELD MAXIMIZATION OF HIGH-OLEIC GROUNDNUT VARIETY GIRNAR 4 UNDER TELANGANA CONDITIONS: AN AGRONOMIC EVALUATION TRIAL

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2025 at the AICRP on Groundnut, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Palem, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) to optimize crop geometry and fertility levels for growth and yield maximization of high-oleic groundnut variety Girnar 4 (ICGV 15083). The experiment was laid out in Randomised Block Design with three replications, comprising of seven treatments: T1 (30 x 10 cm + 75% RDF), T2 (30 x 10 cm + 100% RDF), T3 (30 x 10 cm + 125% RDF), T4 (45 x 10 cm + 75% RDF), T5 (45 x 10 cm + 100% RDF), T6 (45 x 10 cm + 125% RDF) and T7 (local popular check variety Visishta at 30 x 10 cm + 100% RDF). Closer spacing (30 x 10 cm) maintained significantly higher plant population (3,13,333-3,20,000 plants ha-1) over wider spacing (45 x 10 cm, 2,00,000 plants ha-1), while T6 (45 x 10 cm + 125% RDF) recorded tallest plants (42.4 cm). Yield and yield attributes were significantly influenced by spacing and fertility. T3 recorded significantly higher pod yield (2499.7 kg ha⁻¹), kernel yield (1687.0 kg ha⁻¹), haulm yield (5017.5 kg ha⁻¹) and biological yield (7517.1 kg ha⁻¹), followed by T2 and T7, while lowest yields were recorded in T4 (1593.3, 1065.5, 3498.0 and 5091.3 kg ha⁻¹ respectively). Hundred-seed weight and sound mature kernels (SMK %) were also highest in T3 and T2 and lowest under T4. Shelling percentage and harvest index (kernel and pod basis) were non-significant, indicating that spacing and fertility altered total dry-matter production without changing partitioning efficiency. Pearson correlation revealed pod yield was strongly and positively correlated with kernel yield, haulm yield, biological yield, 100-seed weight and sound maturing kernels percentage (SMK%) (r = 0.81-0.98, P<0.01) but non-significantly correlated with shelling percent. It is concluded that planting high-oleic variety Girnar 4 at 30×10 cm with 125% RDF (50:50:62.5 kg N, P2O5, K2O ha-1) is the most productive agronomic combination for semi-arid conditions of Southern Telangana, significantly outyielding wider spacing and the local check.