Early planting; plant with the first effective planting rains to enhance plant vigour and increase the chances of the crop escaping late season drought. Correct plant population; farmers should strive to achieve 300,000 plants per hectare by adhering to the recommended plant and ridge spacing. This also helps the crop to develop a good canopy that provides good soil cover, which eventually conserves moisture and enhances resilience against aphid attack which causes rosette. Fertilizer application; farmers should apply recommended basal and top dressing fertilizers in order to improve plant vigour and ensure that the crop can withstand effects of various stresses. Pest and disease control; farmers should apply recommended chemicals to control pest and disease in groundnuts to ensure healthy plants. Moisture conservation; farmers should conserve moisture through construction of box ridges and mulching Timely harvesting; farmers should harvest their groundnuts once they are mature. Delayed harvesting will expose the groundnut to the risk of fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination. It is recommended that at harvest, farmers should avoid mechanical damage to nuts, by using appropriate implements. Curing; after harvest leave groundnuts in field for 1-5 days depending on climatic conditions after which, it should be dried in Mandela corks or under shade. Stripping and storage; once dried, groundnuts should be stripped from haulms and stored under dry conditions and well ventilated facilities Shelling; farmers should avoid sprinkling water to groundnuts when shelling as this practice predisposes groundnuts to mould growth and aflatoxin contamination Grading; shriveled, mouldy, split and rotten nuts should be separated from whole nuts. Shriveled and mouldy nuts should not be consumed or fed to livestock as they are highly contaminated with aflatoxin. Alternatively these should be sold to oil pressing companies. Traders should offer premium prices for graded groundnuts to encourage grading and enhance aflatoxin control.
Early planting; plant with the first effective planting rains to enhance plant vigour and increase the chances of the crop escaping late season drought. Correct plant population; farmers should strive to achieve 300,000 plants per hectare by adhering to the recommended plant and ridge spacing. This also helps the crop to develop a good canopy that provides good soil cover, which eventually conserves moisture and enhances resilience against aphid attack which causes rosette. Fertilizer application; farmers should apply recommended basal and top dressing fertilizers in order to improve plant vigour and ensure that the crop can withstand effects of various stresses. Pest and disease control; farmers should apply recommended chemicals to control pest and disease in groundnuts to ensure healthy plants. Moisture conservation; farmers should conserve moisture through construction of box ridges and mulching Timely harvesting; farmers should harvest their groundnuts once they are mature. Delayed harvesting will expose the groundnut to the risk of fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination. It is recommended that at harvest, farmers should avoid mechanical damage to nuts, by using appropriate implements. Curing; after harvest leave groundnuts in field for 1-5 days depending on climatic conditions after which, it should be dried in Mandela corks or under shade. Stripping and storage; once dried, groundnuts should be stripped from haulms and stored under dry conditions and well ventilated facilities Shelling; farmers should avoid sprinkling water to groundnuts when shelling as this practice predisposes groundnuts to mould growth and aflatoxin contamination Grading; shriveled, mouldy, split and rotten nuts should be separated from whole nuts. Shriveled and mouldy nuts should not be consumed or fed to livestock as they are highly contaminated with aflatoxin. Alternatively these should be sold to oil pressing companies. Traders should offer premium prices for graded groundnuts to encourage grading and enhance aflatoxin control.
HARMONIZED%20GROUNDNUT%20MANUAL-DRAFT%20copy%2019th%20Jul.docx