Land preparation

• Needs well aerated, moist and weed free seed bed.
• Deep discing (25-30cm) and 2-3 light ploughing by indigenous plough.
• Properly leveled and uniformly graded land is most for proper water management.
• If white grub is a problem, treat the soil with phorate 10G @ 25kg/ha before final land preparation.

Seed selection and treatment

• Quality determinants: purity, viability, germinability, uniformity in seed size, color and weight, free from seed borne diseases.
• Shelling: either by hand or pedal operated or hand operated or power operated sheller.
• Reject shriveled, improper filled, damaged (hypocotyls, epicotyls or terminal buds) seeds.
• Treat with thiram @3 g/kg seed or Bavistin @ 2g/kg seed.
• Inoculate with efficient strain of Rhizobium (Bradyrhizobium sp).

Sowing time

• Rainfed: 10-12 June (just after onset of monsoon)
• Irrigated: sown ahead of monsoon (10-12 days before monsoon) with pre-sowing irrigation helps best utilize the rain.
• In terai: with irrigation facility, there is potential of growing groundnut during post-monsoon and early spring dry season (February-May).

Method of sowing

• Seed drill, sowing in furrow, line sowing, ridge planting, dibbling etc.
• In areas with drainage problem, ridge method is suitable.
• In small irrigated areas, dibbling is practiced.

Spacing

• Bunch type: 30 x 10 cm
• Spreading: 45 x10 cm
• In Nepal, 40 x20 cm is recommended for runner type groundnut.

Seed rate

• Bunch type: 120 kg/ha
• Spreading type: 100 kg/ha
• In Nepal, 60-70 kg/ha for runner type to maintain plant population of 125000 plant per ha with the spacing of 40 x20 cm.