Screening and Selection of Groundnuts (Arachis hypogaeaL., Fabaceae)for Earliness

Breeding for early-maturing cultivars has always formed a significant part of the objectives in any crop improvement programme, particularly groundnuts. Information about earliness in groundnutsis limited. Genetic development of varieties that are early-maturing and escape drought is needed. The current study generally sought to exploit groundnut varieties, both landraces and improved, by screening and selecting early-maturing varieties based on yield and other traits. Simple ranking and cluster analysis was used to classify the genotypes based on date of maturity (earliness) and performance for other traits. Means, standard deviation and coefficient of variation were computed for the measurement data. Quantitative data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using STATA edition 12.0. Means were separated by Least Significant Difference at 95% confidence level. Pearson’s Correlation (r) analyses between pairs of quantitative parameters were performed using SPSS version 22.0, with reference to yield parameters. Combined analysis of variance was computed for the groundnut entries across water regimes (Gomez and Gomez, 1984) for yield and yield components data using STATA pc software version 12.0. SPSS pc software (version 22.0) programme was used to generate dendrograms for the groundnut accessions using growth and yield performance data, based on Euclidian distance. Simple scoring and ranking was used to assess disease incidence based on the scale of 1-5. The groundnut genotypes; ‘Ndogba’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Yenyawoso’, ‘Simpelgu’ and ‘Kpach-Isah’ were selected as early-maturing varieties based on flowering and maturity periods (28 days to 50% flowering; 85-90 DAP). Groundnut varieties that exhibited early maturity, also showed good performance for pod yield. These varieties include ‘Chinese’ (263 pods/10 plants), ‘Yenyawoso’ (259/10 plants), ‘Simpelgu’ (225/10 plants), ‘Ndogba’ (193/10 plants) and ‘Kpach-Isah’ (126/10 plants). They also recorded relatively high harvest indices; Chinese (0.4847), Yenyawoso (0.3912), Simpelgu (0.4854), Ndogba (0.2252) and Kpach-Isah (0.8318). Information generated from this study can be used to develop new groundnut varieties that combine both earliness and higher-yielding traits. Marker assisted selection procedures could help enhance this process based on the availability of QTLs and genes for the traits and markers developed in that regard.