Project Abstract

Abstract
The response of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to rhizobia inoculation, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers on an Alfisol in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria was investigated. The study aimed to assess the individual and interactive effects of rhizobia inoculation, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers on groundnut growth, nodulation, and yield. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Treatments included T1 (Control), T2 (Rhizobia inoculation), T3 (N30), T4 (P20), T5 (Rhizobia inoculation + N30), T6 (Rhizobia inoculation + P20), T7 (N30 + P20), T8 (Rhizobia inoculation + N30 + P20). The results showed that the combined application of rhizobia, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers significantly influenced plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, pod yield, and nodule parameters of groundnut. The treatment T8 (Rhizobia inoculation + N30 + P20) recorded the highest pod yield (2.58 t/ha) compared to the control (1.06 t/ha). Nodulation was significantly enhanced by the combined application of rhizobia, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The study demonstrated the importance of integrated nutrient management for improving groundnut productivity in the Northern Guinea Savanna region. These findings underscore the potential of harnessing biological nitrogen fixation through rhizobia inoculation in conjunction with balanced chemical fertilization to optimize groundnut yield in similar agro-ecological zones. Overall, the results suggest that sustainable groundnut production in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria could be achieved through the judicious combination of rhizobia inoculation, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers tailored to the specific nutrient requirements of groundnut in Alfisols. Further research is recommended to explore additional management practices and crop varieties that could further enhance groundnut productivity and soil health in the region.

Project Overview

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L) also known as peanuts, is a leguminous crop, a member of the genus Arachis in the family Leguminosae. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics due to its nutritional and economic importance. Groundnut is the most widely grown major legume worldwide cultivated in 118 countries and occupies more than 22.6 million ha that produce about 36.4 million MT, with average yield of about 1600 kg ha-1(Abate et al., 2012).
Groundnut seeds (kernels) contain 40 -50 % fat, 20 – 50 % protein and 10 – 20 % carbohydrates (ICRISAT, 2003). Groundnut seeds are nutritional source of vitamin E, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, ribloflavin, thiamine and potassium (Kumar and Shankar, 2013). In most of the developing countries it provides high-quality cooking oil and is an important source of protein for both human and animal diet and also provides much needed foreign exchange by exporting the kernels and cake. The uses of groundnut plant therefore, make it an excellent cash crop for domestic markets as well as for foreign trade in several developing and developed countries (FAO, 2002).