How to select and keep peanut seeds? Master these methods to select good seeds

Seizing the favorable timing of peanut harvest and doing a good job of peanut seed selection and retention without delay is the foundation for ensuring a bumper peanut harvest the following year. Years of experience show that the following key techniques must be grasped in selecting and keeping peanut seeds:

1. Select and keep good varieties suitable for local planting. Judging from peanut production in recent years, the large-peanut varieties suitable for spring sowing in the Huang-Huai region mainly include Luhua No. 9, Luhua No. 14, Huayu No. 33, Huayu No. 36, Huayu No. 912, Yuhua No. 15, Jihua No. 4, Shanhua No. 9, Shanhua No. 13, Qinghua No. 7, Weihua No. 16 and other varieties. The small-peanut varieties mainly include Shanhua No. 10, Weihua No. 14 and others. These varieties have moderate plant height, high population photosynthetic efficiency, concentrated pod set, are not prone to pod drop, and have high yield and good quality, meeting export standards, and can be selected according to local conditions.

2. Carry out "three selections" (field block selection, plant selection, pod selection) for seed retention. Before harvest, choose a field block with high varietal purity, good growth and development, and no pests or diseases as the seed retention field. Within the seed retention field, select plants that mature normally and have many and uniform pods as retention plants, and mark the selected plants for seed retention. The seed retention plants should be harvested separately and dried separately. Carry out pod selection in conjunction with drying, and select plump two-seeded pods or three-seeded pods for seed retention. According to tests by the agricultural technology station of the former Zhuhan Town, Changle County, Shandong Province, Huayu No. 16 grown from seed retained from such pods increased yield by 7.3%; according to field yield measurements in Wulian and other counties and cities in Shandong Province, peanut pods from "three selection" seed retention increased yield by an average of 21.3% compared with those without "three selections".

3. Do a good job of drying the pods. After the selected plants are harvested, first dry them in the field for 2 to 3 days, and when the pods reach 80% dryness, transport them back to the yard to pick the pods; further dry the picked pods until fully dry, with moisture content reduced to below 9%, and then store them in the warehouse. Tests show that drying on the plants first and then threshing the pods allows nutrients in the stems and vines to be further transported into the pods; compared with pods picked immediately after harvest and then dried, pod yield increased by 5.5% and kernel weight increased by 4.6%. Moreover, if pods are picked immediately after harvest, the pod moisture content is as high as 45% to 50%; even with thin-layer drying, it is difficult to dry them in a short time, and the pod skins are highly prone to mold and blackening, which not only affects appearance quality but also leads to a low seedling emergence rate after sowing and susceptibility to Fusarium wilt and viral diseases, causing reduced peanut yield.

4. Safe storage. Peanuts have a relatively long storage and preservation period. To achieve safe storage, choosing suitable packaging materials and locations is very important. Gunny sacks can be used for holding them, or small bins for bulk storage are better. They must be stored indoors in a dry, ventilated place free of rodent damage. Tests show that peanut seeds stored in this way have a seedling emergence rate of over 98% after sowing, with no phenomenon of dead seedlings from disease. However, peanut seeds stored in large piles in the yard often absorb moisture and become damp, causing the seedling emergence rate after sowing to drop to 93.3%, and the rate of diseased dead seedlings by the end of June to reach 3.9%.

Jia Dengsan, Changle County Agriculture Bureau, Shandong Province