Effects of Different Soil Texture on Peanut Growth and Development

Abstract

The effects of different soil textures (namely sand, loam, and clay) on peanut growth and development were investigated using the carton planting method. The results showed that sand is conducive to the growth of stems and leaves of peanuts in the early growth period, loam is conducive to the growth of stems and leaves in the middle and late periods, and clay is not conducive to the growth of stems and leaves of peanuts throughout the entire growth period. Soil texture had a significant effect on the number of peanut flowers. This is because the amount of flowering peanuts was insufficient in the clay. Although the amount of flowering peanuts was large in the sand, the peanuts mainly flowered in the late period, and there was a large amount of fruitless flowers. In the loam, the peanuts mainly flowered in the early period, and there was a large amount of fruitful flowers. The difference in the total number of pegs between the sand and loam was not significant, but either had more pegs than when grown in clay. Peanuts accumulated pod dry matter quickly in the sand early in the season, but pod growth slowed later in the season. The pod dry matter in the loam was accumulated mostly in the middle and late periods. Clay was not conducive to pod dry-matter accumulation. The moderate aeration and water and fertility retention of the loam was more suitable for peanut growth and development, as well as yield formation.

Keywords:

• Development
• growth
• peanut
• soil texture
• yield

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2011BAD09B01-2). Part of the work was carried out under the Provincial Modern Wheat Industry Technology System of Shandong, with the support of the Program of the Taishan Mountain Scholar Constructive Engineering Foundation of Shandong Province in China and the Building Plan of Famous Scientific Research Innovation Teams in the universities of Shangdong Province.