PRODUÇÃO DE CULTIVARES DECUMBENTES DE AMENDOIM SUBMETIDAS A DISTINTOS ESPAÇAMENTOS

Abstract

In Northeastern Brazil peanut is an important culture due to its high palatability, nutritional value, grain high oil content and for being an additional and/or alternative source of income for small regional farmers. However, production is insufficient, primarily due to low yield, lack of use of adequate cultivars and inadequate management. Therefore, an experiment was carried out (March/June, 2008), at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA) (Semi-arid Rural Federal University), in Mossoró, RN (Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil) experimental station, to evaluate yield of 2 creeping peanut cultivars (Runner IAC 886 and IAC-Caiapó), grown in 2 row spacings (0.5 m and 0.9 m). In a complete randomized block design treatments were allocated in a 2 x 2 factorial (2 cultivars x 2 row spacings), with 4 replications. Production components and yield were evaluated (number pods plant-1, number seeds meadow-1, 100 seed weight, pod yield, percentage yield almonds and straw yield). Cv. Runner IAC 886 showed higher yield than cv Caiapó, in both row spacings (0.5 m = 5,169 kg ha-1 and 0.9 m = 4,264 kg ha-1) mainly due to the number of pods plant-1. Row spacings affected both cultivars. Runner IAC 886 showed higher yield of pods at the 0.5 m spacing (5,897 kg ha-1) and Caiapó in the 0.9 m spacing (4,264 kg ha-1). Straw yield was higher in the lower row spacing cultivation.