Response of Irrigated Groundnut to Polythene Mulching on Broad Bed and Furrows during the Low Temperature Months in Nigeria

Experiments were conductedduring 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 dry seasons to evaluate the response of selected groundnut varieties to Polythene Mulching (PM) onBroad Bed and Furrows (BBF)in the Sudan Savanna of Nigeria.The treatments consisted of Polythene mulch vs without mulch (control) and four groundnut varieties,laid outin Split plot design with four replications. The result showed that polythene mulch positively and significantly influenced the phenological and physiological variables as well as the yield and yield component of groundnut.Plot withPM emergence at mean of 8 days earlier and attained days to 50% flowering and maturity 11 and 10 days earlier than the control.Polythene mulch had positive and significant effects on all of the phenological, growth and yield parameters (100 seed weight,Spad Chlorophyll Meter Reading, LAI and shelling percentage) of groundnut. These effects ranged from 5% advantage in Spad Chlorophyll Meter Reading at 40DAS to 29% at LAI 60DAS.Mean pod yield of the mulch treatments (3401 kgha-1) was 39% higher than the control (2102 kgha-1). Samnut-24 had highest pod yield of 4009 kgha-1under the polythene mulch treatments. Polythene mulch also increased the haulm production by 26% over the control treatment (4775 vs 3505 kgha-1). The experiment showed that it is possible to produce high groundnut pod and haulm yields using PM onBBFin the Sudan Savanna of Nigeria.