Growth and yield response of groundnut cultivars to selected rates of phosphorous and soil amendments in the Southern Guinea Savanna of The Gambia

A field experiment was conducted at The Gambia College Research Farm in the wet season from June to November, 2022. The aim was to determine the growth and yield response of groundnut cultivars to selected rates of phosphorous and soil amendments in The Gambia. A split-plot design was used with two groundnut cultivars assigned to the the main plots and sixteen rates of phosphorous fertilizer and organic soil amendments allocated to the subplots. The treatments were replicated three times. The treatments were applied and incorporated into the soil two weeks before planting. Sowing was done at a depth of 5 cm and the plants were spaced at 50cm between rows and 12cm between stands within the row with one seed per stand. The application of phosphorus (P) at 30 kgha-1 + Farm Yard Manure (FYM) at 5,000 kgha-1 recorded the highest number of branches (18.67) and largest canopy (57.93cm), highest pod weight (1088.70 kg ha-1) and kernel yield (1025.50 kg ha-1), followed by P at 30 kgha-1 + Biochar at 2500 kgha-1 and P at 60 kgha-1. The study concluded that application of P at 30 kgha-1 + FYM at 5,000 kgha-1 significantly increased the production of pod and kernel yields than rest of the treatments tested on groundnut. Therefore, this treatment is recommended for adoption by small-scale farmers to increase groundnut production and P availability in Gambian soils.