Physical and engineering properties of groundnut varieties commonly cultivated in Chhattisgarh

Abstract

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), commonly known as the poor man’s nut, plays a significant role in India’s oilseed production, ranking second globally in groundnut cultivation. With an estimated cultivation area of 47.07 lakh hectares and a production of 101.80 lakh tons, groundnut serves as a major source of edible oil, protein (25.30%), and fat (40.10%), along with essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamins. Despite its economic importance, groundnut production faces multiple challenges such as climate variability, selection of suitable seeds, and inefficient post-harvest equipment design. In developing countries, lack of data on physical and engineering properties of groundnut pods-such as size, sphericity, bulk density, friction, and rupture force-impacts the design and efficiency of agricultural machinery, leading to crop losses and reduced productivity. This study evaluates the physical and engineering properties of three groundnut varieties (Jyoti, ICGV00440, and Kadri-9) to provide essential data for equipment design. The average values observed were: length (28.18 mm), width (13.05 mm), thickness (12.07 mm), arithmetic mean diameter (17.77 mm), geometric mean diameter (16.39 mm), sphericity (0.58), bulk density (246.45 kg/m³), true density (438.79 kg/m³), and angle of repose (26.73°). Rupture forces were 31.24 N (longitudinal) and 245.41 N (vertical). These parameters are vital for designing threshing, shelling, handling, and storage systems to minimize losses, improve efficiency, and enhance post-harvest processing.