ABSTRACT
The groundnut or peanut is grown extensively throughout the world. Groundnut is also grown to a lesser extent in Australia and Europe. The groundnut is an edible oilseed, and most of the world's production is used for oil. Groundnut oil is highly valued as a salad or cooking oil. The groundnut is native to South America; wild cultivars being found from near the equator to 35 S. Groundnuts should be grown in a rotation to avoid build-up of harmful diseases and insects. Nutrient deficiencies in groundnut may be assessed by plant symptoms, tissue analysis and soil tests. Unfortunately, in areas where deficiencies exist, there have been few research reports to identify critical nutrient concentrations in plants and soils. Pew soil tests have been properly calibrated for groundnut production. Most groundnut breeding has been devoted to selection and crossing of wild species to adapt production to temperate regions.
