This is when it is 120 – 150 days after planting depending on the variety. Harvesting when 75-80% of pods have turned dark inside the shell will usually give the best grade and yield. The inner wall of the pods usually has a dark discoloration at maturity.
The color of the seed in the pod can also be used as an indication. The color of the young immature seed is usually white, gradually becoming pink as the seed reaches maturity. Harvesting after the physiological maturity date of any groundnut variety results in high pod losses because of the weakening of the pegs as a result of weather changes.
Harvesting usually consists of a series of operations comprising digging, lifting, windrowing, stocking and threshing.
In the traditional method of groundnut harvesting, entire brunches of groundnut plant are held and pulled, lifting it out of the soil by hand. Harvesting may sometimes become a problem especially when the crop has passed the stage of full maturity and the soil has hardened.
There are two mechanical harvesting methods. In the first method, peanuts harvest in two stages while the second method does this work in one stage.
In two stages harvesting, the vines dig, shake and finally invert. This tree action carried out by one machine that known as digger/shaker/inverter. The harvester for penetrating into the soil to the required depth and digging out the groundnut crop with pods.
The harvested peanuts left on the field for two or three days of sun drying. Finally, peanut combine lifts dried peanuts from the ground and threshes them.
In one stage harvesting, all the mentioned steps in two stages harvesting are integrated by peanut combine. The harvester working principle is that the digging shovel digs up the soil and crops through the impetus of the tractor. And the digging shovel makes the crop and soil to separate through vibration sieve.
The soil first drops down from the clearance of vibration sieve, finally the crop crashed down on to the road from the back. This groundnut harvester can finish digging and cleaning soil, during one operation. Thus, there are lifters, lifter-shakers, and picker-threshers.
As groundnuts with such a high moisture content tend to rot easily, it is necessary that they be subjected to a conditioning or drying process as soon as possible.
Peanut harvesting
