The effect of timing of shade on development, dry matter production and light-use efficiency in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under field conditions

Abstract

During the rainy season in India, bamboo screens intercepting approximately 46% of the incident light were used to simulate the effect of shading by a cereal grown as an intercrop with groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). The treatments comprised an unshaded control and two durations of shading extending from peg initiation (T1) and the onset of pod filling (T2) to final harvest. Plant height was greatest in the T1 crop, but the maximum rates of leaf development on the main stem, leaf area expansion and pod production were similar in all crops. Shading appeared to reduce the rate of the linear growth phase because the reduced light interception was not entirely offset by an increase in light-use efficiency. Premature senescence in the shaded crops coincided with the virtual cessation of pod production, although continued allocation of dry matter to reproductive structures in the T1 crop resulted in a greater proportion of pods being filled at final harvest than in the other treatments. The responses of groundnut to timing of shade are discussed in terms of their implications for the selection of improved crop combinations for intercropping.