Foliar fertilization of high-yielding peanuts during the pod-filling period

A 2-year field experiment was carried out in a sandy soil (Xeropsament-Torripsament) at Nir Yizhaq, Israel, where commercially grown peanut plants were sprayed with different NPKS solutions during the pod-filling period. All foliar sprays were applied in addition to the fertilizer which had been added to the soil before planting. The differences in yield between the treatments were not significant in either year. In the first year, there was a tendency toward increased yields of pods (up to 13%) and of hay (up to 16%) when four foliar fertilizer applications (10 kg N, 1 kg P, 3 kg K and 0.5 kg S/ha/application) were given, at one-week intervals. N was added mainly as urea, P and K as potassium polyphosphate, and S as ammonium sulphate. In the second year, the highest yield was obtained in the control plots and the differences between the treatments were not significant. Utilization of foliar nutrient application seems to be dependent upon availability of these nutrients in the soil.