Developing a Core Collection of Peanut Specific to Valencia Market Type

Abstract

Crop improvement and the dissection of complex genetic traits require germplasm diversity. A core collection is a gateway for the use of diverse accessions with beneficial traits in applied breeding programs. Valencia germplasm consisting of 630 peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. ssp. fastigiata var. fastigiata) accessions from the USDA collection and a check cultivar, New Mexico Valencia C, were evaluated for 26 descriptors in an augmented design for two seasons. The accessions were stratified by country of origin, and data on morphological and agronomic descriptors were used for clustering following Ward's method. About 10% or a minimum of one accession from each cluster and region were selected to develop core subset of 77 accessions. Comparison of means between the core subset and the entire collection indicated that the genetic variation available for these traits in the entire collection has been preserved in the core subset. The similarity in correlation coefficients in the entire collection and core subset suggests that this core subset has preserved most of the coadapted gene complexes controlling these associations. Peanut breeders engaged in improving the genetic potential of Valencia peanuts will find this core subset useful in cultivar development.