Gene effects of pod yield and its components in three crosses of groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L . )

1415 Research Article Gene effects of pod yield and its components in three crosses of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Abstract: Groundnut, (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a major source of vegetable oil and protein and also a major source of fodder crop. Genetic systems that control the expression of quantitative traits facilitate the choice of the most efficient breeding and selection procedure. Generation mean analysis is commonly used in studies of inheritance of quantitative traits. Four groundnut genotypes which consist of three late leaf spot and rust resistant genotypes viz., COG 0437, COG 0438 and ICGV 97150 and one susceptible genotype TMV 2 were used in the present study. The cross TMV 2 x ICGV 97150 had additive gene action for most of the traits viz., plant height, number of pods per plant, pod yield per plant, kernel yield per plant, hundred kernel weight and shelling percentage. Hence, early generation selection could be practiced in TMV 2 x ICGV 97150. However due to the presence of epistasis, especially for rust and LLS incidence in other two crosses viz., TMV 2 x COG 0437 and TMV 2 x COG 0438, selection should be postponed to later generations. Introduction Cultivated groundnut, (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop. It is a major source of vegetable oil and protein, both for human beings and animals. In many drought prone areas of India, groundnut is the only source as a fodder crop, as no other fodder crop can match the drought tolerance as that of groundnut. Groundnut is an important multipurpose crop for resource less poor farmers in the semi arid tropics. Due to environmental stresses and disease pressure, average productivity is often below one tonne per hectare in groundnut.