Groundnut Cultivation Guide: Sowing, Gypsum, Pests & Harvest (India)

Updated 2026-07-10 · Crop guides

Groundnut is unusual: it flowers above ground but forms its pods below it. Everything that decides your yield — calcium, moisture, soil looseness — has to be right at the pegging stage, when those pods are setting.

Season and sowing

Groundnut is grown as a kharif (monsoon) crop — sown around June–July with the rains — and as an irrigated summer crop (January–February) where water allows. It runs about 100–130 days.

• Choose sandy-loam, well-drained soil — loose enough for the pegs to push in and form pods.
• Treat the seed before sowing (fungicide plus a Rhizobium/PSB culture) for a clean start and better nitrogen fixation.
• Aim for a good, even plant stand — thin, gappy fields waste land.

The pegging stage and gypsum

After flowering, the plant sends down pegs that enter the soil and swell into pods. This is the decisive moment:

• Apply gypsum (calcium sulphate) at flowering/pegging — the developing pods need calcium right there in the pod zone for good fill and oil.
• Keep the soil loose and moist at pegging so pegs can penetrate; a hard crust cuts yield badly.
• The most critical irrigations are at flowering, pegging and pod-fill — do not let the crop dry out then.

Water and drainage

Groundnut needs moderate water but hates extremes. Kharif crops largely ride on the monsoon; make sure the field drains well, because waterlogging brings rots and empty pods. In summer or a dry spell, irrigate at the critical stages above.

Pests and diseases

Scout regularly for:

• Leaf miner — larvae mine and roll the leaves.
• Tikka / late leaf spot — dark spots that defoliate the crop; the plant also needs calcium to stay strong.
• Collar rot & stem rot — manage with seed treatment and good drainage.
• Thrips — they transmit bud necrosis virus, so managing thrips and roguing sick plants protects the crop.

The right product and rate depend on the label and your state — confirm with your agriculture officer or KVK, or ask YieldAI with a photo. We name the problem, not an invented dose.

Harvest and drying — avoid aflatoxin

Harvest at the right maturity (the inside of the shell darkens and veins show; leaves start to yellow). Too early loses yield; too late and pods sprout or detach in the soil.

Then dry the pods promptly to safe moisture (around 8–9%). Damp, slowly-dried pods grow the mould that produces aflatoxin — which fails food-safety limits and kills your price, especially for export. Dry on clean surfaces, not bare damp earth.

Groundnut has an MSP (about ₹6,377/quintal for the 2024–25 kharif season — always check the current year), so compare the MSP with local mandi rates before selling.

Growing groundnut in your state

See the region guide for local windows and varieties:

• Groundnut in Gujarat (a leading producer)
• Groundnut in Andhra Pradesh
• Groundnut in Tamil Nadu
• Groundnut in Karnataka

Common varieties include GG-20, TG-37A and the Kadiri series — pick one notified for your area.