Assessment of drought resistant and high yielding groundnut variety for Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu

A field trial was undertaken by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kundrakudi, Sivaganga District, during the rabi season of 2018–2019 to evaluate the performance of groundnut varieties with drought tolerance potential under rainfed farming situations. The experiment was carried out at a farmer’s field in Avanipatty village, Thirupattur block, using a randomized block design with five treatments—T1: Dharani (TCGCS-1043), T2: VRI 8, T3: Kadiri 9, T4: VRI 2, and T5: TMV 7—each replicated seven times. Among the tested varieties, Dharani (TCGCS-1043) consistently outperformed others by recording higher germination (91.4%), plant height (64.3 cm), leaf area index (2.85), pod yield (18.5 q/ha), haulm yield (43.89 q/ha), and oil content (48.6%). It also yielded the highest net return (₹55,750/ha) and benefit–cost ratio (2.52). The findings suggest Dharani as a suitable, high-yielding, and drought-resilient groundnut variety for rainfed cultivation in Sivaganga District.