Peanuts farming guide - A success story

Scientific Name: Arachis hypogaea.

Success story of a groundnut farmer in Siaya, Kenya: 

The 48-year Timothy Simiyu has been reaping good returns from ground nut farming. The former Primary school teacher started farming Manipinta and Red Valencia groundnuts in his maize farm in Musonga, Siaya County, whilst in search of additional income.

Peanuts

“Unlike maize, I was impressed by groundnuts which took three to four months to mature, and added nitrogen to the soil,” he observes. Simiyu converted his three hectare piece of land in 2001 to grow groundnuts.

He used about Sh48,000 to till the land, buy seedlings and farm till harvest a decision which he says he does not regret. “Its been about 13 years since I started off and I bet on the prices to buy seedlings, pesticides and to till and weed the land has since skyrocketed.

I grow the Red Valentia, which is tastier, and Manipita, which is the bigger groundnut variety. The latter produces up to 2.2 tonnes per hectare whilst the Manipita produces up to 2.4 tonnes (2,400kgs) per hectare every season,” he said. 

According to a recent monthly survey by the Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange, a 100kg bag of Red Oratia groundnuts costs about Sh10,000.With Kilimo Biashara quoting that groundnut ranges from Sh7,500 to 13,000 per 100kg bag, in Western, Eastern and Coastal areas, Simiyu makes about Sh450,000 per hectare each season from his Red Oratia and Manipitia groundnuts.

In a good season, his three hectares can thus bring in about Sh1.35 million. “After delivering to the market, irrigating, paying the workers and all expenses included I make a profit of about Sh1 million per season. I save part of this amount and use another Sh350,000 to prepare the land and all other expenses for the following season,” he says.

Peanut pods with seeds

Groundnut farming has also created more jobs for others. Eliakim Otieno, has constructed a groundnut grinding machine that produces groundnut paste that he sells to customers around Kakamega town. Otieno who previously lived in Uganda for eight years gained insight into use and benefits of peanut butter and upon returning to Kenya, he constructed the machine, which earns him big.

“The machine cost about Sh55,000 and is more of a blender constructed with a mortal and a shaft. I usually buy groundnuts from farmers around Kakamega and grind the legumes which are used to make paste, flour, and make sauce among other uses,” he says.

Huge benefit - 200 grams of groundnut paste costs Sh50 while a kilo of the paste goes for Sh250 “I usually make the paste by grinding peanuts, adding simsim , salt and a preservative to make it last longer once stored,“ he says. Otieno had previously tried making peanut butter and says that he opted to stop due to packaging and focus on the paste.

“Whilst making peanut butter, one does not add any oil. Groundnuts naturally have oil. The trick is that the more you grind the finer the paste becomes. It produces its own oil and becomes smooth enough to spread on bread,” he says. Groundnuts are a rich source of protein and edible oils and add nitrogen into the soil and can be grown in poor soils.

They take a shorter time span in the farm and have a huge market in Kenya.

Peanuts health benefits include:

-The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in groundnuts keep the heart healthy.

-Reduces the risk of colon cancer - A number of studies have shown that nutrients found in groundnuts, including folic acid, phytosterols, phytic acid and resveratrol, may have anti-cancer effects. Eating groundnuts just 2 or more times each week has been associated with a 27% lowered risk of colon cancer in men and about twice that figure in women.

-They contain antioxidants - Groundnuts contain high concentrations of the antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid and oleic acid, which not only protect the heart but impede the growth of free radicals, keeping infections at bay. They also lessen the risk of stomach cancer by preventing the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach.

-They contain Vitamin B3 which boosts memory and helps lower cholesterol - The same nutrient which gives groundnuts their memory boosting power also helps reduce and control cholesterol levels. Added to that is their copper content which aids in reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol levels.

-Cardiovascular advantages - Regular intake of groundnuts helps to lessen the effects of aging whilst preventing several cardiovascular challenges such as stroke, heart attack and hardened arteries.

-Helps to prevent blood related problems - Groundnuts and groundnut products are very beneficial in the treatment of haemophilia and other related blood disorders. People suffering from nose bleeding also gain from eating groundnuts and it is also helpful in reducing excessive menstruation bleeding in women.

-They help to combat depression - Peanuts are good sources of tryptophan, an essential amino acid which is important for the production of serotonin, one of the key brain chemicals involved in mood regulation. When depression occurs, a decreased amount of serotonin may be released from the nerve cells in the brain.

-They are generally rich in vitamins and minerals - Groundnuts are rich vitamins and contain at least 13 different types of vitamins that include Vitamin A, B, C and E. Added to this, groundnuts are also rich in 26 essential minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, boron, etc.
-The cocktail of all these vitamins and minerals will help in brain function and development, strengthening your bones and purifying your blood.

-Lowers Risk of Weight Gain - Eating nuts regularly is associated with a reduced risk of weight gain. Research has shown that people who eat nuts at least twice weekly are much less likely to gain weight than those who almost never eat them.

They high protein should be regularly incorporated in diet for children, vegetarians and protein deficient people. They also contain high concentrations of the antioxidant polyphenols, that inhibit the growth of free radicals, keeping infection at bay.

Planting season - In addition they also have high levels of minerals and vitamins. According to a research carried out by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute in Kitale and Kisii, a farmer should get clean healthy seed for planting and prepare the land early before the rains so as to plant at the beginning of the rains.

Plant in rows: 1ft (30cm) between the rows and 6 inches (15cm) between plants for the small seeded varieties like Red valencia. 1.5 ft (45cm) between rows and 8-9 inches (20cm) between plants for larger seeded varieties like Manipinta. It is important that one does not weed or walk through a flowering groundnut field.

Peanuts pests and diseases
1.Botrytis blight - Numerous spots on upper surface of leaflets; entire plant or discrete parts may wilt and die; pods and stems become covered in fungal sclerotia.

2.Cylindrocladium black rot - Leaves on main stem turning chlorotic and wilting; entire plant wilts very rapidly when there is a period of water stress following high moisture; clusters of red-brown fungal bodies occur on on stems, pegs and pods; roots destroyed; roots blackened and shriveled.

3.Early Leaf spot - Small chlorotic flecks on leaf petioles, stems and pegs which enlarge and turn dark in color; lesions on upper surface of leaves usually possess a yellow halo and are reddish brown on the underside of leaves.

4.Late leaf spot - Small chlorotic flecks on leaf petioles, stems and pegs which enlarge and turn dark in color; symptoms may be very similar or identical to early leaf spot and can only be differentiated by examination of conidia under a microscope.

5.Rust - Characteristic orange pustules on undersides of leaves which become covered in masses of red-brown spores; pustules may form on pods.

6.Sclerotinia blight - Tips of infected branches wilt or flag rapidly; early signs of infection include the presence of small water-soaked lesions at the base of the stems which turn yellow or bleached; leaves on infected branches turn chlorotic and then wither; fluffy white fungal growth may appear on infected tissues during periods of high humidity.

7.Southern stem rot - Lateral branches or main stem yellowing and wilting; white fungal mat developing on the stem close tothe soil line; white to brown spore containing structures developing from the fungal mats.

8.Verticillium wilt - Chlorosis of leaf margins; curling leaves; loss of leaf turgor; plants wilt and become stunted as the disease progresses; plants wilt rapidly during periods of water stress; vascular system becomes dicolored.

9.Web blotch (Phoma leaf spot) - Circular, brown-black lesions on the upper surfaces of the leave; web or net-like brown lesions on leaves may form on leaves during periods of high humidity; as disease progresses, lesions darken and develop a rough texture; lesions may cover entire leaf surface

10.Two-spotted spider mite - Leaves stippled with yellow; leaves may appear bronzed; webbing covering leaves; mites may be visible as tiny moving dots on the webs or underside of leaves, best viewed using a hand lens; usually not spotted until there are visible symptoms on the plant; leaves turn yellow and may drop from plant.

11.Thrips (Tobacco thrips) - If population is high leaves may be distorted; leaves are covered in coarse stippling and may appear silvery; leaves speckled with black feces; insect is small (1.5 mm) and slender and best viewed using a hand lens; adult thrips are pale yellow to light brown and the nymphs are smaller and lighter in color.

12.Stunt - Leaves curled and pale yellow to green; leaf petioles shortened; plants growth severely stunted; plants may produce very few pods if they have been infected early in the growing season.

13.Charcoal rot - Water soaked lesions on stems of seedlings close to soil line; lesions girdle stem and kill seedlings; lesions in similar area may be present in older plants; lesions are initially water-soaked but turn brown; if lesions girdle the stem, plant wilts and branches die; infections beginning in the roots cause leaves to turn yellow and wilt and causes stems to be blighted.

14.Phyllostica leaf spot - Circular lesions with red-brown margins and light brown or tan centers on leaves; centers of lesions may dry out and drop from leaf resulting in a "shot-hole" appearance.

15.Root knot nematode - Galls on roots which can be up to 3.3 cm (1 in) in diameter but are usually smaller; reduction in plant vigor; yellowing plants which wilt in hot weather.

16.Tomato spotted wilt virus & Peanut bud necrosis - Chlorotic spots or mottled patterns on leaves; drooping leaflets during hot weather; necrosis of terminal buds; stunted growth; new leaflets are reduced in size and may be puckered with mosaic mottling.

17.Armyworms - Singular, or closely grouped circular to irregularly shaped holes in foliage; heavy feeding by young larvae leads to skeletonized leaves; shallow, dry wounds on fruit; egg clusters of 50-150 eggs may be present on the leaves; egg clusters are covered in a whitish scale which gives the cluster a cottony or fuzzy appearance; young larvae are pale green to yellow in color while older larvae are generally darker green with a dark and light line running along the side of their body and a pink or yellow underside.

Sources: Standard Digital, Plant Village.

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