Bathinda, Dec. 1 -- Agricultural scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Kapurthala district are gearing up to enhance field demonstration of spring groundnut cultivation as an alternative to the water-guzzling maize farming done during dry season. Supported by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), KVK experts have roped in enterprising potato growers from the Doaba district for limited cultivation for the third consecutive season to be started after three months from the third week of February next year. Experts said that traditionally groundnut is grown during the kharif cycle and the KVK took up the novel idea of cultivating the 100-day long oilseed crop during the spring season. In charge of the KVK, Harinder Singh, said that nearly 12 progressive farmers from different villages of Kapurthala were motivated for a crop diversification experiment in 2023. He said that groundnut can be a gamechanger in Punjab's light-textured sandy soils which is present across the state. "Results in the last two seasons were very encouraging and we are working to boost the acreage to show that farmers should opt groundnut over spring/summer maize," he added. Farmers are sowing a PAU recommended J-87 variety, which matures in 100-115 days. They say growers can earn more than Rs.1 lakh per acre from the spring groundnut and engagement of private buyers for assured marketing can enhance acreage of the industrial crop. Farmers like Jarnail Singh from Kamalpur Mothanwala, who is part of the project, had been sowing spring maize on 30 acres of land for the last four years and decided to experiment with groundnuts. Encouraged by the impressive yield from a kanal, Jarnail has decided to grow groundnut on 15 acres after harvesting potatoes in February. "I had some experience growing groundnuts on the family land in Lakhimpur Khiri in Uttar Pradesh and wanted to try my hand on the crop at my native village in Kapurthala. I harvested 2.90 quintals from one kanal which is very encouraging. I will cut the spring maize area by half. Groundnut requires four to six irrigations whereas water requirement for maize is huge at 18-20 cycles of irrigation," he added. Agriculture experts term the recent trend of cultivating maize during non-rainy days alarming and attribute it to the mushrooming of the silage industry, a processed cattle food, in Punjab. Experts said the maize grown after the wheat and potato harvest phase is not produced for edible grains and the Punjab government does not endorse it and the crop is not covered under the minimum support price (MSP) regime. Officials said since spring/summer maize was not endorsed and there was no official data for acreage under, but field studies say that in 2021, summer maize was sown on about 32,000 hectares which jumped to nearly 50,000 hectares in 2022. As per information, spring maize the estimated area of 3 lakh hectares early this year. Farmers said that infrastructure for mechanised groundnuts is readily available and unlike hybrids, farmers can save money by using the seeds grown in their fields for the next crop. Another farmer Narinderjit Singh from Sardarwala, who tested groundnut farming early this year for the first time, said that he was impressed with the outcome. "I found my maiden experience of groundnut cultivation viable. The pest attacks can be protected easily and it is more profitable than spring maize. But marketing is a challenge as presently, there are few buyers in Jalandhar. Assured purchase of the crop can boost farmers' choice towards groundnut cultivation," said Narinderjit....