The effect of plant density on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield, cv. ‘Tatu’, was studied in soils of various fertility levels. Three experiments were carried out under field conditions, on a soil classified as Oxisol, at Pontal, SP, Brazil, during the wet seasons of 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90. The densities studied were 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23 and 26 plants per meter of row, with a row spacing of 0.60 m. The yield component responsible for the variation of pod production per plant was number of pods per plant, which decreased with increasing plant density. However, the low pod production per plant under high plant densities was compensated by the high population of plants, with high yield. Thus, good pod yield, without significant losses in relation to the highest densities, were obtained at the density of 14 plants per meter for the high fertility soil, and 11 plants per meter for the middle and low fertility soils, resulting, respectively, in 12.92, 10.67 and 10.93 plants per meter at harvest time.
Arachis hypogaea; pod; fertility; soil