Comparative effects of natural farming concoctions on seed germination and early seedling growth of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Introduction

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), commonly referred to as peanut, earthnut, monkey nut, or goober, is an important annual leguminous crop cultivated worldwide. Its seeds are rich in essential nutrients, including vitamin E, niacin, folate, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, riboflavin, thiamine, and potassium, making them a valuable component of human diets. Groundnut kernels are consumed in various forms such as raw, roasted, or boiled, while the extracted oil is widely used for cooking and food preparation. In addition to its role as a food crop, groundnut serves as livestock feed through the use of seeds, oil cake, green fodder, and straw. The crop also contributes to several industrial applications, particularly through the utilization of oil cakes and organic fertilizers. Since seeds are the primary means of crop propagation and account for the production of nearly 90% of agricultural crops globally, maintaining seed quality is essential for achieving vigorous plant growth and higher yields. However, seed quality is often compromised by fungal contamination, and studies have indicated that approximately one-quarter of the world's crop production is affected by mould and fungal infestation [1] . As a leguminous crop, groundnut contributes significantly to soil health by fixing atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic microorganisms, thereby enhancing soil fertility and supporting sustainable agricultural production. This natural nitrogen fixation reduces the dependence on synthetic fertilizers and promotes environmentally friendly farming practices. Among all agricultural inputs, seed is considered the most fundamental component and has a decisive influence on crop establishment, growth, and productivity, including in groundnut cultivation. The use of high-quality seed, combined with appropriate management practices and inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation, and farm machinery, is essential for achieving higher yields and improved crop performance. Consequently, seed quality remains a critical factor in determining the overall productivity and profitability of agricultural systems [2] . Seed represents one of the most expensive and critical inputs in groundnut production, making its quality a major determinant of crop success. The use of inferior or low-vigour seeds often results in reduced germination, uneven plant emergence, and poor crop establishment, ultimately affecting yield potential.

Studies have shown that nearly 30% of seeds planted in the field either fail to germinate or are unable to develop into healthy and productive plants [3] . Therefore, ensuring the availability and use of high-quality seed is essential for achieving uniform crop stands, improved productivity, and greater economic returns in groundnut cultivation.

Materials and Methods

Area of study and seed collection

The experiment was carried out in pots at Laboratory located in Gujarat Natural Farming Science University, Halol, Gujarat. The Groundnuts were procured from research farm at the GNFSU.

Experimental details

Seeds were sown in three different treatment pots as shown in table 1. Twenty-five seeds were used per treatment with three replications in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Regular irrigation was provided. Jeevamrit was prepared using 10kg fresh cow dung, 10L cow urine, 2kg jaggery, 2kg pulse flour, 100g healthy soil, 180L water and stored in drum and kept for fermentation upto 5 days under shade with mixing it twice daily in clockwise direction with use of wooden stick. Clusterbean based powder formulation was prepared using 10kg cluster bean powder, 200g jaggery, 100g honey, 100L water and fermented for 24h after which 100L water was again added and fermented for 10 days with mixing it twice daily in clockwise direction with use of wooden stick.

Observations recorded

The following parameters were recorded for seeds: Germination percentage Germination percentage was calculated by following formula: Germination (%) = Number of seed germinated/total number of seed sown x 100

Seedling Growth Parameters Seed Vigour Index

Seed Vigour Index was calculated by measuring the germination percentage and the physical growth (length or weight) of the seedlings by following formula: SVI= Germination (%) x mean seedling length (cm)

Root length

Root length was measured at the end of the germination period by uprooting selected seedlings and recording the distance from the collar region to the tip of the taproot. The mean value was expressed in centimetres.

Shoot length

Shoot length was measured from the collar region to the apical tip of randomly selected seedlings at the end of the observation period, and the mean value was recorded in centimetres.

Statistical analysis:

Data were analyzed using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) procedures, and treatment means were compared using standard statistical methods.

Results and Discussion

Effect of Different Treatments on Germination and Seedling Growth Parameters

The effect of different treatments on germination percentage, seed vigour index, root length and shoot length at 0-10 DAS is presented in 4.3). Mean germination percentage for different varieties of groundnut were found to be 49.33%, 68.45% and 76.89% as observed on 7 th ,14 th and 24 th days after sowing by Likhitha et al. [4] . Thenuja et al. [5] reported 85% germination without the dosages of gamma radiation. Ankaiah et al. [6] observed germination (%) to be highest in groundnut variety Kadiri 6 of 80.2%, followed by JL-24 (79.4%) and Narayani (78%) varieties. The improved germination observed under Jeevamrit treatment may be associated with the availability of beneficial microorganisms and naturally occurring growthpromoting substances that create favourable conditions for seed imbibition and seed emergence. Better germination during the initial growth stage ensures uniform crop establishment and provides a strong foundation for subsequent plant growth.

Seed Vigour Index

Seed vigour index is a comprehensive indicator that reflects both germination performance and seedling growth. The variation in seed vigour among treatments is presented in Figure 4 2). Furthermore, Jeevamrit recorded 25.56% higher seed vigour than Natural Soil (Table 3). Chandanasree et al. [7] reported that amongst 10 different varieties of groundnut tested highest seedling vigour of 2110 was found in Kadiri-6 variety. Rathod [8] observed seed vigour of groundnut Cv. TLG-45 ranged from 150-600 in treatments of varied dosages of leaf extract of Polyalthia longifolia (Sonner) Thw. Ramanadane et al. [9] noted that seed vigour index of 12 different types of storage treatments of groundnut ranged from 1208 to 3679. Vigour index of 762.85 was found by Aparna et al. [10] . The higher seed vigour observed under Jeevamrit treatment indicates stronger seedling establishment and better physiological activity during the initial growth period.

Vigorous seedlings generally possess greater capacity for nutrient uptake, better adaptability to environmental conditions and improved growth potential. The results therefore demonstrate the significant role of Jeevamrit in promoting healthy and vigorous seedlings during the first ten days after sowing.

Root Length

Root growth plays a vital role in water absorption, nutrient uptake and overall plant establishment. The effect of treatments on root length is presented in Figure 4.3. Among all treatments, Jeevamrit + Natural Soil recorded the maximum root length of 22 cm, followed by Natural Soil (16 cm). The shortest root length was observed in the Clusterbean Raw Powder Based Formulation (6 cm). The percentage improvement analysis revealed that Jeevamrit treatment increased root length by 266.67% compared to the Clusterbean formulation (Table 4.2 and Figure 4.5). Natural Soil also improved root length by 166.67% over the Clusterbean treatment. In addition, Jeevamrit produced 37.50% greater root growth than Natural Soil (Table 4.3). 9.11±0.91 cm root length was seen in experiment carried out by Neelamegam and Sutha [11] . Satu and Ahmad [12] observed root length of 5.70±0.10 cm in groundnut. 9.9 cm root length observed by Parthasarathi et al. [13] during study of allelopathic effect of leaf extract of Parthenium hysterophorus L. Among all the growth parameters evaluated in the present study, root length exhibited the highest percentage improvement. This indicates that root development was the most responsive parameter to Jeevamrit application. A stronger root system enables seedlings to access water and nutrients more efficiently, thereby improving overall plant growth and resilience during the early stages of development.

Shoot Length

The effect of different treatments on shoot length is shown in Figure 4.4. The maximum shoot length was recorded under Jeevamrit + Natural Soil (17 cm), followed by Natural Soil (15 cm), while the minimum shoot length was observed in the Clusterbean Raw Powder Based Formulation (12 cm).

The comparative analysis indicated that Jeevamrit treatment increased shoot length by 41.67% compared to the Clusterbean formulation and by 13.33% compared to Natural Soil (Table 4.2 and Table 4.3). Rahmah et al. [14] observed lowest size of shoot length in groundnut genotype, S 19-3 to be 12.22 cm whereas highest of 18.65 cm was found in DODR genotype during a study of Bambara groundnut genotypes for drought tolerance at germination stage. Nirmal et al. [15] reported shoot length under normal conditions of Arachis hypogaea L. was found to be 18.553±1.52 cm. Chinnasamy et al. [16] noted that shoot length decreased with increase in storage period (1-10 months) from 15.4 cm to 10.2 cm. Enhanced shoot growth under Jeevamrit treatment may be associated with improved nutrient availability and increased microbial activity in the root zone, which supports rapid seedling development. Better shoot growth during the early stage contributes to greater leaf area development and increased photosynthetic efficiency in later growth stages.

Comparative Performance of Treatments

The overall comparative performance of different treatments is presented in • Root length by 266.67%

• Shoot length by 41.67% Among these parameters, root length showed the highest improvement, followed by seed vigour index.

Similarly, the Relative Performance Index (RPI) presented in

References

1. Begum MAJ, Balamurugan P, Vanangamudi K, Prabakar K. Establishing seed standard for seed health test in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) for Aspergillus flavus. African Journal of Agricultural Research. 2013;8(38):4839-4848. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2013.7364
2. Meena HN, Meena M, Yadav RS. Comparative performance of seed types on yield potential of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under saline irrigation. Field Crops Research. 2016;196:305-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2016.06.006
3. Singh AL, Nautiyal PC, Zala PV. Growth and yield of groundnut varieties as influenced by seed size. Tropical Science. 1998;38:48-56.
4. Likhitha A, Kona P, Sangh C, Kulkarni G, Singh S, Tomar RS, et al. Germplasm characterization for early maturity and fresh seed dormancy at morphological and molecular levels in groundnut. Journal of Food Legumes. 2025;38(2):255-263. https://doi.org/10.53550/jfl.v38.i2.267
5. Thenuja M, Sutharsan S, Rifnas LM. Effects of different levels of gamma radiation on growth and yield characteristics of groundnut. Asian Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry. 2024;10(1):1-10. https://dx.doi.org/10.9734/ajraf/2024/v10i1264
6. Ankaiah R, Bharathi M, Varma VS, Kumari KM, Durga KK, Rani CVD. Effect of seed size on seedling vigour in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Madras Agricultural Journal. 2013;100(4-6):324-327.
7. Rathod LR. Effect of Polyalthia longifolia (sonner) thw. on seed mycoflora, seed germination and vigour index of groundnut cv. Tlg-45. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2025;14(24):1253-1258. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18184095
8. Ramanadane T, Gnanasekar R, Hemalatha G, Kamatchi A, Kartic D. Improved Seed Storage Technique in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cv. G7 in Coastal Environment. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research. 2025;1:1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-6228
9. Aparna M, Chaturvedi A, Sreedhar M. Impact of gamma rays on the seed germination and seedling parameters of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Asian Journal of Experimental Biological Sciences. 2013;4(1):61-68.
10. Neelamegam R, Sutha T. UV-C irradiation effect on seed germination, seedling growth and productivity of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2015;4(8):430-443.
11. Satu SI, Ahmad S. Effects of salinity on the growth and development of groundnut plant (Arachis hypogaea L.). Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. 2019;43(1):25-30. https://doi.org/10.3329/jbas.v43i1.42230
12. Parthasarathi T, Suganya V, Sivakumar R. Allelopathic effect of aqueous leaf extract of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on seed germination and seedling growth in greengram, blackgram and groundnut. Madras Agricultural Journal. 2012;99(7-9):514-517. https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.100128
13. Rahmah NI, Ilyas S, Setiawan A. Evaluation of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.) genotypes for drought tolerance at germination stage. SABRAO Journal of Breeding and Genetics. 2020;52(1):45-63.
14. Nirmal D, Teraiya S, Patel H, Joshi P. Studies on effect of exogenous application of ascorbic acid on growth, photosynthetic pigment and oxidative defence in 'groundnut' (Arachis hypogaea L.) under lead (Pb) International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science https://www.agriculturaljournals.com stress. Discover Plants. 2025;2(1):169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44372-025-00265-6
15. Chinnasamy GP, Sundareswaran S, Subramaniyan KS, Raja K, Renganayaki PR, Marimuthu S. Volatile organic compound analysis as advanced technology to detect seed quality in groundnut. Journal of Applied & Natural Science. 2022;14(3). https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v14i3.3617