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Oilseed Crops · Oilseed

Growing groundnut

Arachis hypogaea · also called moongphaliA warm-season legume whose flowers push pegs into the soil, where the pods form. Grown for oil and snacks in the kharif across most of India, and in rabi and summer where water allows.

North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
Dry groundnut pods in their shells, heaped on a sheet with a small tub
Photo: David E Mead · CC0

At a glance

Groundnut in the North-west plains

  • Season

    Spring (irrigated) sown in the second half of February; kharif sown end April to end May with irrigation, or at the monsoon's onset when rainfed2

  • Sowing to last picking

    PAU varieties mature in 101 to 123 days: TG 37A 101 days, J 87 112, M 522 about 120, SG 99 about 123.2

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  • Sow

    Second half of February2

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Wait until February

The next sowing here is Second half of February.

Sowing now in:North-east hills and valleys
  • Sow
  • Harvest
  • Today
  • Not suited here
North-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunTemperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluNot suited here
Compare all 12 regions
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluNot suited hereCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiNot suited hereSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
North-west plainsSecond half of FebruaryEnd of April to end of MayLast week of June to first week of JulyEnd of June to early JulyEnd of August to early SeptemberEarly November
Temperate HimalayaNot suited here
Cold desertNot suited here
Sub-tropical foothillsMarch to AprilFirst half of JuneLast week of June to first week of JulyOctober to early November
Gangetic plainsLate June to early JulyFebruary to early MarchOctober to early NovemberLate May to June
North-east hills and valleysMarch to AprilLate October to NovemberLate July to AugustLate February to March
Arid westLate June to early JulyLate January to FebruaryOctober to early NovemberMay to early June
Central plateauLate June to early JulyLate January to FebruaryOctoberMay
Deccan plateauMid June to mid JulyMid January to mid FebruarySecond half of SeptemberOctober to early NovemberLate May to June
South interiorJune to JulyJuly to AugustDecember to JanuaryApril to MayOctober to NovemberApril to early May
West coastMay to JuneJanuary to MaySeptember to October
East coastJune to JulyJuly to AugustDecember to JanuaryFebruary to MarchOctober to NovemberApril to early MayLate May to June

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Well rotted farmyard manureNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    5 to 10 tonnes per hectare · Spread and plough in before sowing · field preparation

  2. Day 0

    Sow

    Rhizobium culture for groundnut

    Coat the kernels at the rate on the packet, dry in shade and sow the same day

  3. Day 6 to 10

    Seeds come up1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  4. Day 100 to 125

    Last picking2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Two or three irrigations, depending on rain. Give the first at flowering, one or two more while pods form if rain is short, and another a few days before harvest so the pods come out of the soil. After rainfed sowing, bund the field into small plots for a protective irrigation.2

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

    6 to 7.5

    Well drained sandy soil over a loamy subsoil suits a rainfed crop. With irrigation, loamy sand, sandy loam and loam also do. Keep the soil loose so the pegs can push in.

  • SunlightNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    At least 6 hours a day

    Full sun in an open field.

  • TemperatureNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    Grows best at 22 to 30 °C

    Frost: none tolerated.

    Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering2

Two or three irrigations, depending on rain. Give the first at flowering, one or two more while pods form if rain is short, and another a few days before harvest so the pods come out of the soil. After rainfed sowing, bund the field into small plots for a protective irrigation.

Weeding2

Hoe twice: three weeks after sowing and three weeks after that.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
field preparationWell rotted farmyard manure5 to 10 tonnes per hectareSpread and plough in before sowing
at sowingRhizobium culture for groundnutCoat the kernels at the rate on the packet, dry in shade and sow the same day

SourcesNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Varieties and yield

Typical rangeNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

15 to 30 quintals a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Varieties grown here2

  • J 87

    Bunch type for spring and kharif; bold kernels, suits confectionery; 112 days

  • TG 37A

    Early bunch type for spring; 101 days

  • SG 99

    Bunch type, tolerant of bud necrosis; pods set close to the main root; about 123 days

  • M 522

    Semi-spreading; about 120 days

Good neighbours2

Grows well with

Pests and diseases2

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    Aphid

    Signs

    Sucks sap, mostly from the growing tips; worse in dry years.

  • Pest

    White grub

    Signs

    Beetles come out with the first rains in June and July and feed on nearby trees at night. Grubs eat the root hairs; plants turn pale, wilt and die.

    What to do

    • Plough the field twice in May and June to expose resting beetles
    • Sow early where possible

  • Pest

    Hairy caterpillar

    Signs

    Eats leaves and tender stems; young caterpillars feed in groups, grown ones move between fields.

    What to do

    • Watch the fields regularly
    • Collect and destroy egg masses and young caterpillars while they feed in groups
    • Crush grown caterpillars

  • Pest

    Termite

    Signs

    Tunnels in roots and shoots after sowing; plants wilt, dry and pull out easily, and damaged pods are filled with soil.

  • Disease

    Collar rot and seed rot

    Signs

    Seed rots before it comes up, or seedlings rot at the collar.

    What to do

    • Sow only healthy, unblemished kernels

  • Disease

    Tikka (Cercospora leaf spot)

    Signs

    Leaf spots that spread fast at 25 to 30 °C with high humidity.

    What to do

    • Sow only healthy, unblemished kernels
    • Do not grow groundnut in the same field year after year

  • Disease

    Root knot nematode

    Signs

    Patches of poor plants with yellowish leaves and stubby, knotted roots; early attacks leave plants stunted and bushy.

    What to do

    • Expose the soil to the sun in May and June
    • Green manure where possible
    • Add organic manures to the soil

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,2,3

Pull out off-type plants once the crop is fully grown and again at harvest.

When the seed is ready

Most leaves turn yellow and older ones drop. Inside the shell, dark lines appear and the kernels take their pink colour.

Cleaning the seed

Keep the seed in its pods. Shell healthy, well filled pods by hand about two weeks before sowing and drop small, shrivelled or blemished kernels.

Dry the pods until the kernels hold about 7% moisture. Store them in polythene-lined gunny bags on a raised platform, without sealing or stitching the bags.

After the last picking2

Follow with late kharif fodder, potato, peas, toria or another rabi crop; spring groundnut fits before maize or moong. Do not sow groundnut in the same field year after year.

The haulms make good fodder for livestock.

Rotation

Do not grow groundnut in the same field year after year: soil-borne diseases build up. Rotating with sorghum, pearl millet, rice or maize lowers leaf spot, rust and bud necrosis; wheat, cotton, maize, onion or garlic lower soil-borne diseases.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 2Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Kharif 2026 (Oilseeds: groundnut)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
  2. 3AESA based IPM package: GroundnutNational Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) with the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Ministry of AgricultureRead the source
  3. 4Crop Production: Oilseeds: Groundnut (irrigated and rainfed)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreRead the source

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