Influence of seed size in different varieties of groundnut on its productivity

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2008 on rainfed red sandy loam soil to determine the effect of seed size on yield and also its role in reducing the cost of cultivation. The treatments consisted of four varieties viz, TMV 2, K6, Narayani and ICGV 91114 with three categories of seed i.e., bold, medium and small and tested in RBD with three replications. The germination was quick in medium and small sized seeds compared to bold seed. Yield attributes such as number of filled seeds per plant, 100-kernel weight did not differ significantly among treatments. In Pod yield, there was no significant difference among seed size in all tested varieties. Among the varieties, Narayani recorded highest yield (1557 kg ha−1) , which was on par with K6 (except small seed), and superior to TMV2 and ICGV 91114 (except bold seed). Highest net returns and benefit cost ratio were recorded with medium category seed of Narayani variety. In different categories of seed of tested cultivars, seed alone contributed from 14.6 (small seed) to 44.8 (bold seed) per cent in total cost of cultivation. Small and medium sized seeds germinated better and required less weight of seeds per unit area.