he leaf area index (LAI) at 50 days after sowing (DAS) and dry matter accumulation (g m−2) of peanut at different growth stages (25, 50, 75 and 100 DAS) were significantly (P ⩽ 0.05) influenced by application of fertilizer during both the years ( Table 2; Fig. 1). However, increasing the CF dose from 20:40:30 (F1) to 40:80:60 kg NPK ha−1 (F2) resulted in marginal increment of dry matter production. The LAI under the treatment comprising CF and FYM was comparable with CF except F1 and F3 under lime treated plot in the first year, however, in the second year FYM + CF application (F3 and F4) resulted significantly higher LAI as compared to CF alone for both lime and no lime application. The plants in lime treated plots recorded significantly higher LAI and dry matter production over no lime application.