When to plant Bambara groundnut in Tchad

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Bambara groundnut

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is one of Africa's own beans — a tough, low, bushy plant, often grown by the women of the household on the poorest, sandiest land where maize would fail.

Bambara groundnut in Tchad, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 19 Jun 2027 – 29 Jun 2027 opens in 37 weeks 30 Jun 2027 – 20 Jul 2027
Expected harvest 1.7–1.9 t/ha same
Harvest From 17 Sep 2027 to 16 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–170 days after planting
Work it takes 77–157 days per hectare, by hand

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 29 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Tchad is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 29 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Tchad

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 96%

For bambara groundnut in Tchad, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2027 season in Tchad

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMay 2027 to October 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 707 mm in a typical farming district
Across its districtsFrom about 5 mm in the driest of 70 districts to about 1,106 mm in the wettest
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 707 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.4 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
65% too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 30 mm · July to September
30% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 146 growing days · about 710 mm · May to October

last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 70 areas within it

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What bambara groundnut needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand or sandy loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5
Spacing 40 cm between rows, 15 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and calcium

What it takes to grow bambara groundnut in Tchad

Planting materialAbout 125,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 95 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 19 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 48 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job.
Hand work77–157 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a bambara groundnut crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Bambara groundnut with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Tchad as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

Bambara groundnut in nearby districts

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will bambara groundnut grow well in Tchad?

Tchad rates as favourable for bambara groundnut.

When should I plant bambara groundnut in Tchad?

Typically 19 Jun 2027 to 29 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Tchad, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Tchad

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.