Oilseed crops play a vital role in our agricultural economy, occupying sizeable share (14 percent) of the country's gross cropped area and contributing about 10 percent value of agricultural products. Amongst different oilseed crops groundnut ranks first and contributes nearly 50 percent of the total oilseed's production in the country. Groundnut is a rich source of energy because of its high oil and protein content. It is also a good rotation crop as it builds up the soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen through the root nodules and also an efficient cover crop for lands exposed to soil erosion. To increase the present lower yield level of groundnut, it is necessary to adopt polythene mulching as has been done in China, the authors feel.
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