Systems Approaches to Enhance Peanut Production under Resource Limitation

Approach

The goals of UF 157 were to improve peanut productivity and production by increasing yield, reducing losses due to pests, weeds and diseases, and reducing labor inputs. Emphasis on technology transfer, and later, seed multiplication, was a strong point. Mechanical aids to speed up harvesting and processing will lead to reduced losses, improved quality and reduced risk of aflatoxin contamination. Outcomes will benefit resource-poor farmers in improving production efficiency, reduction of input costs and have beneficial effects on the environment.

Achievements

In Burkina Faso and Ghana, systems approaches to enhance peanut production include use of new herbicides and fungicides, optimizing use of hand-weeding relative to herbicides use, and using enhanced spraying equipment. Multi-location peanut cultivar trials under Peanut CRSP sponsorship show that because production was of higher value, fungicide use results in 70% pod yield increases and improves labor productivity, even without herbicide use. Research in the 2010 and 2011 seasons showed yields of improved cultivars about double that of the standard, short-season check cultivars. Also during these years, continued fungicide and fungicide trials showed herbicide and fungicide benefits. Results from two locations each in Ghana and Burkina Faso continued to show the clear advantage of the improved lines (near double in yields, 15 days longer to maturity, and greater leaf-spot resistance). There is long enough growing season for the longer maturing material, but farmers will have to accept the longer maturity against shorter season varieties. Two of the lines have been released in Ghana as named cultivars “NkateSari and Gusie Balan”. Four herbicides were tested at two locations in Ghana in 2012, and two of them (pendimethalin and basagran) provided near acceptable weed control without hand weeding. Herbicide and fungicide trials in Burkina Faso are providing promising results. The results of the research will form the basis for cropping system models to apply the information across wide regions in the countries.