GROWTH AND YIELD OF PEANUT CULTIVARS IN RELATION TO GROWTH STAGES

This research was conducted at the experimental farm of the Field Crops Research Station/IPA Agricultural Research Center-Abu-Graib, during the growing seasons 2001 and 2002. The objectives were to study growth characters, yield and yield components for peanut cultivars. Cultivars Madan Sodri, MH383, Ashford, Kariz and Barbarton were introduced from Sudan while C1, C2, C3 and C4 from ICRISAT organization to be compared with Local cultivar. A randomized complete block design in four replications was used. Results showed significant differences among cultivars in growth characteristics, yield and yield components in both seasons. Cultivars differed significantly in dry weight, crop growth rates at different periods. Kariz cv. gave highest dry weight at 30 DAP (day after planting) and 150 DAP (1.96 g and 41.08 g. respectively) with crop growth rats 64.4 mg/plant/day and 273.8 mg/p/d, respectively. However, highest pod yield (44.2 pod/plant), highest seed per pod (1.45) were obtained from the same cultivar. C2 gave lowest pod yield (9.6 gm/plant). Local cv. gave highest seed weight (0.58 mg) achieving 56.10 and 52% increment as compared to Sodri and Barbarton, respectively. Sudani caltivars gave highest oil percentage (46.4-52.3%), protein percentage (20.0-27.7%), while ICRISAT cvs. gave lowest oil percentage (45.1-45.8%), protein percentage (19.8.-29.9%) and the Local cv. was medium between the two groups concerning oil (48.4 %) and protein (21.8%). It was concluded from this experiment that Kariz cultivar was the best in growth characteristics and yield, and it was similar to Local cultivar in some characteristics and can be used in a plant breeding program to obtain more suitable cv. for Iraqi environment. Sudan's cvs, were highest in oil percentage and of short season as compared to ICRISAT cvs.