Genetic resources utilisation and biometric analysis in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Abstract

Maximising the production, of vegetable oils in the country is one of the badly felt national needs for which the improvement in the productivity of groundnut, the major oilseed crop of the country, deserves the best attention. As a crop, groundnut has wide adaptability and a number of other favourable attributes. Breeding improved varieties suited to the two major areas of groundnut cultivation viz, the traditional uplands during kharif land the non-traditional, but potential rice fallows during summer is an immediate necessity for popularising the crop in this State. Germplasm collection, evaluation and utilisation constitute the basic approaches in the genetic improvement of any crop. Hence this investigation. Eighty eight divergent varieties of groundnut were collected from different sources and subjected to preliminary evaluation in uplands during kharif. Ninety three varieties were evaluated in rice fallows during summer. These varieties showed wide variability in general performance, yield and other attributes within and between the situations. AH-6915 in uplands and TG-3 in rice fallows were the highest yielders. Several varieties were better in yield than the recommended varieties, viz., TMV-2 and TMV-7. A few varieties such as TG-14 end Spanish Improved were consistently superior at both' the situations.