Western Ambar and Western Dhamaka: High yielding Spanish bunch groundnut varieties for Maharashtra

Abstract

In groundnut, a high yield potential variety having desired combination for Spanish bunch plant habit, large pod size, higher oil content, improved oil quality and early/medium crop duration is rare. Western Ambar is a large pod mutant of popular variety TG-37A, and Western Dhamaka is a recombinant selected from a cross between TG-37A and TPG-41. Both the varieties maintained higher productivity in station, multi-locations and adaptive trials compared to check varieties in respective trial during rabi/summer season. Western Ambar and Western Dhamaka recorded overall an average pod yield of 4892 kg/ha and 5269 kg/ha, and exhibited superiority over the best check TG-37A (4610 kg/ha) by 6.1 and 14.3 per cent, respectively. Further, in State Agricultural Universities trials in Maharashtra, Western Ambar and Western Dhamaka recorded average yield of 3028 kg/ha and 3356 kg/ha, and showed superiority over national check TAG-24 (2645 kg/ha) by 14.5 and 26.9 per cent, respectively. Both the varieties were found tolerant to major biotic stress, and have mediumcrop duration, higher oil content and improved oleic/linoleic (O/L) ratio. In consideration of superiority for pod yield and their important component and quality characters; Western Ambar and Western Dhamaka have been accepted by Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra to include in license for their cultivation in Maharashtra.