Evaluation of the Groundnut Improvement Network for Africa Core Collection for Resistance to Groundnut Rosette and Late Leaf Spot Diseases

Abstract

Groundnut Rosette Disease (GRD) and Late Leaf Spot (LLS) are two of the most important diseases across Africa. GRD results in up to 100% and LLS up to 50% yield losses in susceptible varieties. Co-occurrence of the two diseases, which often happens, is thus detrimental for the farmer. The use of resistant varieties remains the best approach to manage these diseases. Breeding for both diseases has resulted in resistance varieties but with limited knowledge on the diversity of varieties developed. The aim of this work was to utilize the Groundnut Improvement Network for Africa (GINA) core collection which is of known diversity to identify lines with sources of resistance to both GRD and LLS. The collection was evaluated across three seasons at Nakabango and Serere, two known GRD and LLS hotspots in Uganda. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among genotypes for both LLS and GRD at different stages of the plant growth. Several lines were identified with moderate to good resistance to GRD, LLS or both GRD and LLS. Fifteen of the lines demonstrated good resistance to both diseases across the three seasons in Nakabango. These lines can be utilized as parents for improving populations for resistance across breeding programs in Africa.