RESPONSE OF HIGH-YIELDING PEANUT CULTIVARS TO VARIOUS SEED TREATMENTS UNDER MARGINAL FERTILITY SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS

Abstract

Ameliorating peanut production is a requirement to cope with the abrupt climate change and burgeoning population. Seed treatment is vital for enhancing and sustaining peanut production, particularly in semiarid environments. The latest study aimed to evaluate the impact of different seed treatments on the agronomic and quality of three high-yielding peanut cultivars: Giza-6, North Carolina (N.C.), and Aramanch. The applied seed treatments include Rhizobium inoculation, moringa leaf extract, vitavax, and gypsum versus untreated control. The evaluated peanut cultivars significantly varied in their results for agronomic and quality traits. The cultivar Giza-6, followed by Aramanch, proved the best displaying the highest number of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight, number of branches per plant, shelling percentage, biological yield, pod yield, seed yield, oil yield, and protein yield. The applied seed treatments substantially enhanced peanut yield traits, oil, and protein content of peanuts with the superiority of Rhizobium inoculation, gypsum, and moringa extract. These treatments effectively reinforced peanut growth, positively reflected in the yield and quality traits. Subsequently, integrating the seed treatments, particularly Rhizobium inoculation, gypsum, and moringa extract, with high-yielding cultivars, such as Giza-6 and Aramanch, confirmed a helpful approach to enhancing and sustaining peanut production in arid environments.