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The central zone of Our Country, and especially the south, is quite close in terms of basic conditions to those regions where peanuts grow. On an industrial scale, the crop can be grown in areas where there are no early autumn frosts. At home, amateurs grow peanuts even on windowsills.
What family does the peanut belong to?
The plant is classified as belonging to the legume family, genus Peanut. In everyday life, the culture is also called a peanut because of the peculiarities of the final phase of its development. To ripen, the formed pods, or in botanical terminology, beans, with future grains, bend to the ground, gradually penetrate into the soil. When harvesting, the beans are dug up.
Description of the peanut plant
An annual vegetable plant that self-pollinates, rises above the soil in a lush green bush up to 60-70 cm.
- pubescent or naked;
- with slightly protruding edges;
- with branches that are directed upwards during flowering or descend after the formation of bean primordia.
The next, pubescent leaves of different lengths: 3-5 or even 10-11 cm. Consist of several pairs of oval leaf blades, with a slightly pointed apex.
Pedicels emerge from the axils of the leaves, carry 4-7 moth-type flowers, which is typical for legumes, which include peanuts. Petals whitish or deep yellow. The peanut flower only blooms for a day. If pollination has occurred, bean ovaries begin to form. At the same time, the gynophore grows, a section of the receptacle, which increases and, as the branch slopes, grows into the ground, dragging with it the miniature ovary of the bean to a depth of 8-9 cm. Schematic pictures show how peanuts grow. One bush can produce up to 40 or more beans.
Usually, beans are formed only from peanut flowers located at the bottom of the bush. And also from the so-called cleistogamous flowers that the plant creates underground. Apical flowers, above 20 cm from the surface of the earth, do not produce fruits. Not all gynophores with bean ovaries grow into the ground, some simply dry out.
The fruits are oblong, swollen beans, with bandages, 2-6 cm long, with a wrinkled peel of a nondescript sandy color. In each from 1 to 3-4 bulk seeds. Grains from 1 to 2 cm, oval, with a reddish-brown husk that easily separates after processing. The seeds consist of two hard, cream-colored cotyledons.
Where does peanut grow
The original leguminous plant spread around the world from the South American territory, where Bolivia and Argentina are now located.
Where does peanut grow in Our Country
The culture is becoming more and more popular, including in temperate regions. The ripening period of different varieties of peanuts, from 120 to 160 days, is acceptable for some regions. The main conditions for growing legumes are a sufficient amount of light, heat, and moderate humidity. Where summer temperatures do not fall below + 20 ° C, and there are no early autumn frosts, peanuts grow well. If the thermometer readings are lower than recommended, development slows down until the death of the plant. Hobbyists grow peanuts in more severe conditions, using various effective shelters. In areas with warm summers, peanut seeds ripen by the end of September, beginning of October, showing a yield of 1-2 t / ha, depending on the agricultural technology used.
In the world
Peanuts grow in many countries on large agricultural areas. First brought to Spain, the culture takes root in tropical Africa, where it becomes a valuable nutritious product. Here, on the territory of modern Congo, Senegal, Nigeria, they learned to extract vegetable oil from peanut seeds. Gradually, peanuts from the legume family, which grows well on poor soils, spread throughout the countries of Southeast Asia, came to North America. Peanuts have gained particular popularity in the United States since the beginning of the 100th century. After XNUMX years, many areas previously occupied by cotton turned out to be under peanuts, which are also processed for technical purposes.
The largest areas cultivated for peanuts belong to India, China, Indonesia and other countries in this region. Culture also plays a leading role in the economy of a number of African countries. On an industrial scale, peanuts grow in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. A specific agricultural technique has been developed in the form of various fertilizers and growth stimulants, which helps to accelerate the development of gynofor, reduces the number of underdeveloped ovaries and increases the yield.
How does a peanut grow
For the successful cultivation of a legume of tropical origin, the sunniest place without the slightest shadow is chosen on the site. How peanuts grow can be seen in the photo. In the nature of Our Country, the plant does not spread on its own. A short warm period with temperatures above + 20 ° C forces lovers of exotic vegetables to grow them through seedlings. Also grows in Our Country and heat-loving peanuts.
Landing
In the south, crop seeds are sown when the soil warms up to 14-15 ° C. According to the phytocalendar, this period coincides with the flowering of acacia. Sprouts develop rapidly in warmth at a temperature of + 25-30 °C.
For successful cultivation in a temperate climate, the following requirements are followed:
- soils are preferably light – sandy loam, loam, with good aeration, neutral acidity;
- plant nutrition is provided by the autumn application of humus or rotted compost;
- do not plant in those areas where other legumes grew last year;
- holes for seedlings of peanuts are prepared 10 cm deep;
- between the lush bushes of a legume plant, an interval of up to 50 cm is observed.
For industrial crops in the south, row spacing is up to 60-70 cm, with a distance between plants of 20 cm. Peanut seeds are planted to a depth of 6-8 cm.
Experienced vegetable growers select varieties of leguminous plants, zoned for the steppe and southern parts of the forest-steppe zone of the European continent of the Black Sea zone. In the conditions of the climate, the following varieties of peanuts successfully grow:
- Klinsky;
- Stepnyak;
- Accordion;
- Krasnodar;
- Skill;
- Valencia Ukrainian;
- New Virginia.
Care
From the beginning of the growth of peanut seedlings, crops are watered once every 2 weeks. In the care of peanuts in dry weather, in the phase of flowering and formation of ovaries, regular watering every other day with the obligatory subsequent loosening of the soil plays an important role. In the evening, the plants come to life after spraying the bushes with warm water, which is carried out every other day. The best solution would be to organize drip irrigation. If it rains, at least irregularly, zoned varieties grow well without watering, since the peanut is drought-resistant initially. But during the period of heavy rains or prolonged heavy precipitation in the middle lane, crops are covered with a transparent film. Soil that is wet for a long time can cause fruit rot. Peanuts stop watering a month before harvest.
An important point of agricultural technology is hilling, which makes it possible not to lose that part of the crop that can dry out without reaching the ground. The soil is raked under the plant to a height of 5-6 cm. The reception is carried out the next day after watering or rain several times during the growing season:
- 9-12 days after the appearance of the first flower;
- 2 or 3 more times with an interval of 10 days.
In farms where peanuts grow as an industrial crop, they feed them:
- in spring, the plot before sowing or planting young shoots is fertilized with 50 g of nitrophoska per square meter. m;
- twice during the summer they are supported with complex potassium-phosphorus preparations.
Harvesting
With the beginning of autumn, the leaves on peanuts turn yellow. This is a sign of ripeness of the grains. The beans must be harvested before the air temperature drops below 10°C. If early frosts occur, the seeds are tasteless and bitter. In the household, the crop is dug with a pitchfork to keep the beans intact. They are dried for several hours under the sun, then torn off from the stems and roots, dried in the air. In bad weather, nuts are placed under a canopy where air flows. Beans are stored in boxes or bags in a dry, warm room where the thermometer does not show below + 10 ° C.
Peanuts are susceptible to many fungal diseases. Prophylactically adhere to the recommendations for watering plantings. When symptoms are treated with broad-spectrum fungicides. Also, the peanut has many pests that feed on delicate leaves and flowers: caterpillars, aphids, thrips. Wireworms damage fruits. They get rid of them by laying baits in the holes and inspecting them regularly.
Conclusion
In terms of climate, few regions of Our Country are suitable for regions where peanuts usually grow. And yet, enthusiasts can grow a peanut in the middle lane. The seedling method will bring the ripening time closer, and compliance with the moisture regime in the soil will save the crop.
