– Peanut as a Crop:
– Widely grown in tropics and subtropics
– Important for small and large commercial producers
– Classified as both grain legume and oil crop
– World annual production was 44 million tonnes in 2016
– China led production with 38% of the total
– Peanut Plant Characteristics:
– Pods develop underground (geocarpy)
– Botanical family is Fabaceae
– Contains symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria
– Requires less nitrogen-containing fertilizer
– Improves soil fertility in crop rotations
– Peanut Naming and Classification:
– Scientific name: Arachis hypogaea
– Specific epithet “hypogaea” means under the earth
– Belongs to Fabaceae family
– Not classified as a nut botanically
– Categorized as nuts for culinary purposes
– Peanut Allergies and Varieties:
– Allergen powder available
– Different varieties like aequatoriana, fastigiata, peruviana, vulgaris
– Synonyms include Arachis nambyquarae and Lathyrus esquirolii
– Commonly known as groundnut, goober, pindar, or monkey nut
– Used in various food products and dishes
– Peanut Importance and Nutritional Value:
– High oil content
– Valuable source of nutrients
– Used in food industry and cooking
– Provides energy and protein
– Popular snack and ingredient in many cuisines
The peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and large commercial producers. It is classified as both a grain legume and, due to its high oil content, an oil crop. World annual production of shelled peanuts was 44 million tonnes in 2016, led by China with 38% of the world total. Atypically among legume crop plants, peanut pods develop underground (geocarpy) rather than above ground. With this characteristic in mind, the botanist Carl Linnaeus gave peanuts the specific epithet hypogaea, which means "under the earth".
| Peanut | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Arachis |
| Species: | A. hypogaea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Arachis hypogaea | |
| Subspecies and varieties | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The peanut belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), commonly known as the legume, bean, or pea family. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules. The capacity to fix nitrogen means peanuts require less nitrogen-containing fertilizer and improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations.
The botanical definition of a nut is "a fruit whose ovary wall becomes hard at maturity." Using this criterion, the peanut is not a nut. However, peanuts are usually categorized as nuts for culinary purposes and in common English more generally. Peanuts are similar in taste and nutritional profile to tree nuts such as walnuts and almonds, and, as a culinary nut, are often served in similar ways in Western cuisines.
_-_in_shell,_shell_cracked_open,_shelled,_peeled.jpg)