Peanut, Groundnut

Where does Peanut grow?

Found in: Africa, Amazon, Angola, Antigua-Barbuda, Antilles, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Bougainville, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Congo R, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, El Salvador, Equatorial-Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Hispaniola, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marianas, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rotuma, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, West Papua, West Timor, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are about 75 Arachis species. After oil is extracted, the residual meal is eaten. Chemical composition (per 100g): Protein = 42.5g. Fat = 9.9g. Calcium = 60 mg. Iron = 9.0 mg. Vitamin B1 = .54 mg. Vitamin B2 = .54 mg. Niacin = 30.7 mg. Kcal = 387.

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. A very popular snack food in all areas where it can be grown. Seeds are also sold.

Growing Peanut, Groundnut

Cultivation: Peanuts require soil with good levels of calcium or they produce empty pods. Adding gypsum will improve this. If the nutrient boron is short then flowers won't flower and fruit properly. Because peanuts are legumes, they have root nodule bacteria which can fix their own nitrogen and this means they can still give good yields in grassland soils where nitrogen is at a lower level. The seeds or nuts are normally removed from the shell before planting and are sown 2 to 3 cm deep. The alternately branched or Virginia-type of peanuts have a dormancy period so that they must be stored before replanting. A suitable spacing is 10 cm between plants and 60 to 80 cm between rows. Often plants are grown in mixed cultures with other plants but where a pure stand is used up to 250,000 plants per hectare are used. The soil needs to be weeded and loose by the time the flowers are produced to allow the peg for the seed pods to penetrate the soil. Normally when the whole plant dies off the plant are ready to pull. They are left to dry in the sun for 3 or 4 days.

Edible Uses: The seeds can be eaten raw, or cooked. They are boiled, steamed, roasted, salted or made into peanut butter or flour for bread. The young leaves are edible, cooked. The unripe pods are cooked and eaten. Sprouted seeds are eaten. Oil is extracted from the seeds and is edible. It is often used for stir-frying. The remaining meal is also eaten.

Production: Flowering may commence in 30 days. It takes from 3.5 to 5 months till maturity. They are harvested when the top of the plants die. The whole plant is pulled out. Virginia peanuts have a longer growing season and the seeds need to be stored for a while before they will start to re-grow. (30 days.)

Nutrition Info

Peanut, Groundnut Photos

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