Journal of Scientific Research and Reports

Aims: To study the correlation of weather parameters with growth, phenology, yield attributes and yield of summer groundnut during different phenophases under South Saurashtra Agro-climatic Zone.

Study Design: Strip Plot Design

Place and Duration of Study: Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh

Methodology: The experiment contained three replication and twelve treatment combinations, where horizontal plot consisted of four different sowing dates viz., D₁ : 4^th SMW, D₂ : 6^th SMW, D₃ : 8^th SMW and D₄ : 10^th SMW and vertical plot consisted of three different groundnut varieties viz., V₁ : GJG-31, V₂ : GG-34 and V₃ : GG-37. day^-1). The weather parameters were collected from the agrometeorological observatory of university and were correlated with parameters.

Results: The results showed that the effect of weather parameters on growth, yield attributes, yield and physiological parameters during different phases were found to be significant. At germination phase, relative humidity-II and vapour pressure-II showed positive and significant effect, while, minimum temperature, temperature range, relative humidity-I, bright sunshine hours, evaporation, vapour pressure-I and nycto temperature showed negative and significant effect. During flowering phase, temperature range, bright sunshine hours and inter diurnal temperature showed positive and significant effect while maximum temperature, relative humidity-I and II, evaporation, vapour pressure-I and II, photo temperature and nycto temperature showed negative and significant effect. During pegging phase, relative humidity-II and vapour pressure-II showed positive and significant effect, while, relative humidity-I showed negative and significant effect. During pod development phase, temperature range and inter diurnal temperature showed negative and significant effect. During pod maturity phase, maximum temperature, temperature range, bright sunshine hours, evaporation, photo temperature, nycto temperature and inter diurnal temperature showed positive and significant effect while relative humidity-II and vapour pressure-II showed negative and significant effect.

Conclusion: Based on this experiment it can be concluded that under the south Saurashtra agro-climatic condition of Junagadh (Gujarat), in summer groundnut crop almost all the parameters were significantly correlated with weather elements. Most of the weather elements like maximum temperature, minimum temperature and temperature range were negatively correlated which shows that increase in these temperatures during crop growth period will have adverse effect on crop. Pod yield and haulm yield were negatively correlated with temperature range and interdiurnal range of temperature during pod development phase hence increase in temperature range and interdiurnal range of temperature showed negative effect on the crop and there was reduction in pod yield and haulm yield.