Groundnut Lines Research Articles

Assessment of Genetic Variability in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

The present study was carried out with thirty advanced breeding lines of groundnut for estimation of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among genotypes for all the studied characters indicating that there is substantial variability among the genotypes for these traits. High estimates of GCV and PCV was observed for pod yield per plant, kernel yield per plant, dry haulm yield per plant and number of mature pods per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean were recorded for number of mature pods per plant, pod yield per plant, kernel yield per plant, dry haulm yield per plant, number of immature pods per plant, plant height, harvest index and hundred kernel weight indicating the preponderance of additive gene action in expression of these traits and hence simple phenotypic selection would be effective for improvement of these characters.

BLUP Estimation and Genotype Stability in Arachis hypogaea L. Variety Testing using Mixed Model Equations

Background: One of the major goals of plant breeding is the selection of high yielding superior cultivars having wide or specific adaptation. However, there is a fluctuation in the annual production due to the sensitive behaviour of the genotypes under different environmental conditions referred to as Genotype by Environment Interaction (GEI). The current study aimed to study the contribution of GEI for the adaptation of groundnut lines for spring and/or kharif season. Methods: To assess the contribution of GEI, Multi-Environment Trials (METs) were conducted for 40 confectionery purpose groundnut genotypes at F9 generation along with checks, across three locations for two seasons (spring and kharif). The contribution of environmental effects, genotypic values and genotype × environment interaction values were obtained from genotypic variance-covariance matrix Gi = Σg⨂A using mixed models (MM) in Best linear unbiased predictions (BLUPs).The pooled data was first partitioned into fixed effects of sites across the seasons and BLUP genotypic values (Ggge). The BLUP genotypic values are further partitioned into genetic value (Gg) and their interaction with the environment (Gge) for the adaptability of genotypes across seasons. Result: The results of MET revealed the presence of significant crossover interaction. The demarcation of advance breeding lines for adaptability across the environment as well as for season specific adaptation was done for variety testing. Genotypes having moderate to high Gge values along with high Gg values in spring than kharif, owing to their better performance during the spring season. CGL-11, CGL-23 and CGL-04 were the highest yielding genotypes, with quite high Gge values. This is due to the more favourable environmental conditions interacting positively with genotypes during the spring. Thus, the high Gg value(s) of genotype(s) alone is not a capable factor for commercialization as Gge value is the deciding factor for the adaptability for the targeted season.

Can molecular model crop rice become a boon towards progress of groundnut functional genomics?

Improvement through conventional breeding is a big problem in developing diverse lines of groundnut on tackling good seed quality. A total of 25 markers targeting 13 known rice genes were evaluated with 24 groundnut genotypes and two wild groundnut genotypes (Arachis glabrata, Arachis villosa) and a local popular rice variety NLR34449 (Nellore Mashuri) as molecular check. It was very interesting to note that amplification of 17 (11genes) out of 25 rice gene tagged markers (GTMs) in groundnut accounted for 68% transferability. The analysis of transferability of rice GTMs at individual peanut genotype level revealed a range of 79.17% to 91.67%. This confirmed the possibility of use of the rice markers/genes in groundnut.

Evaluation of genetic purity on Bambara groundnut lines (Vigna subterranean L. Verdcourt) based on qualitative and quantitative characters

Evaluation of genetic purity Bambara groundnut hope line is very important to maintain genetic purity before being released into new varieties. The purpose of this research to examine 12 lines of local Bambara groundnuts. The experiment consisted of 12 unit, each containing 30 plants. The data results are analysed of cluster test for variables qualitative, quantitative variables by counting the mean, variance, standard deviation and coefficient of diversity. The results showed that the 7 populations lines of hope were uniform because they had a similarity matrix value above 0.80 and the remaining 5 populations of lines of hope were not uniform because they had a similarity matrix value below 0.80. The results of data analysis on quantitative characters showed that age of germination, flowering, and harvest. Terminal leaf length and width, number of internodes, and number of branches had low diversity. Character number of leaves and, diameter of thecrown at the age of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 WAP, petiole length, internode length, weight of wetstover, weight of dry stover, lengt hand width of seeds had moderatediversity. Characters of wetpod weight, pod weightdryness, skin thickness ,number of seeds and seed weight varied from high to very high.

High yielding mutants from the introgression lines of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

An effort was made to generate variability for foliar disease resistance and productivity traits in groundnut using induced mutagenesis with gamma rays and ethyl methane sulfate (EMS) in three interspecific derivatives viz., ICGIL17105, ICGIL 17110, and ICGIL 17112 involving ABK genomes. A large population of M1, M2, M3 and M4 generations were evaluated along with the parents and checks to identify the promising mutants. Germinationpercentage decreased with an increase in the dosage of mutagen individually and in combination in the M1 generation. Dominant mutants with reduced plant height were observed along with the lethal mutants in the M1 generation. Gamma rays of 300 Gy and 0.3% EMS showed the highest mutagenic frequency and effectiveness for foliar disease resistance [late leaf spot (LLS) and rust] and productivity traits in the M2 generation. Interestingly, mutations were also observed for the taxonomic traits. Evaluation of M3 lines confirmed the superiority of three mutants over the respective parents and the best check (GPBD 4) for foliar disease resistance and pod yield. Superior mutants were checked for the type of allele at late leafspot (LLS) and rust resistance linked marker loci. Parents and the mutants had the resistant type of allele (like GPBD 4) at all the marker loci (GM1536, GM1954, GM2301, AhTE0498 and AhTE0621). Superior mutants are being evaluated in large plots in the station trial along with the parents and other elite varieties to check their performance towards developing them into commercial varieties.

Genetic Variability Parameters and Character Associations among Yield Attributing Traits in Advanced Backcross Lines of Groundnut

Groundnut is currently a major industrial oilseed crop with good commercial significance. It is highly variable in phenotypic characters and thus it is important to investigate the variations and associations of these morphological features. 20 advanced Groundnut lines were planted in Randomized Complete Block Design along with parental lines and two checks and they were evaluated for 13 traits. Significant variations were revealed in analysis of variance. High GCV (20.21) coupled with high heritability (91.2) and GAM (39.77) were observed is plant height suggested that environment had lesser influence on the expression of this trait, as this character is governed by an additive gene action, making them effective for selection. High heritability combined with low GCV and GAM were recorded in oil content, days to 50 percent flowering, shelling outturn and number of secondary branches per plant revealed that non-additive genetic variation played a significant role in the expression of this trait thus, selection for this character would be inefficient. Pod yield per plant showed a positive and significant association with seed yield per plant, plant height, number of secondary branches per plant, pod length, pod width and number of pods per plant. Path coefficient analysis have revealed that positive direct effects towards pod yield per plant were reported for seed yield per plant, plant height, number of secondary branches per plant, pod length, pod width, and number of pods per plant. Thus the characters seed yield per plant, number of pods per plant, pod length and number of secondary branches per plant which are the most essential characters contributed significantly towards higher pod yield per plant.

Estimation of Combining Ability for Yield Traits in Groundnut using Genetic Variance-covariance among Relatives

Background: In standard mating designs, the suitability of a line as a parent is generally assessed by examining its overall genetic effects. However, if the given attributes of a line are due to gene interaction (epistasis), this approach becomes less reliable. As the performance of the line will exceed the sum of alleles, thereby inflating its breeding potential. The current study aimed to partition these genetic effects into additive and non-additive effects and their interaction with the environment for authentic selection of parental line(s) having high additive effects. Methods: In this study, genetic effects of 40 advanced breeding lines (ABLs) of groundnut developed through pedigree method were partitioned into additive and non-additive effects by incorporating the pedigree information into analysis. These effects and their interactions were further modelled by incorporating variance-covariance structures constructed as Kronecker product across sites. Result: The merit of 40 ABLs of groundnut was demarcated based on their breeding values. The differential ranking based on both genetic values and additive effects led to conclude that selection for parents should be preferred on breeding values for high genetic gains.

Co-expression of stress-responsive regulatory genes, MuNAC4, MuWRKY3 and MuMYB96 associated with resistant-traits improves drought adaptation in transgenic groundnut (Arachis hypogaea l.) plants.

Groundnut, cultivated under rain-fed conditions is prone to yield losses due to intermittent drought stress. Drought tolerance is a complex phenomenon and multiple gene expression required to maintain the cellular tolerance. Transcription factors (TFs) regulate many functional genes involved in tolerance mechanisms. In this study, three stress-responsive regulatory TFs cloned from horse gram, (Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam) Verdc.), MuMYB96, involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis; MuWRKY3, associated with anti-oxidant defense mechanism and MuNAC4, tangled with lateral root development were simultaneously expressed to enhance drought stress resistance in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). The multigene transgenic groundnut lines showed reduced ROS production, membrane damage, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzyme activity, evidencing improved antioxidative defense mechanisms under drought stress. Multigene transgenic plants showed lower proline content, increased soluble sugars, epicuticular wax content and higher relative water content suggesting higher maintenance of tissue water status compared to wildype and mock plants. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed a substantial increase in deposition of cuticular waxes and variation in stomatal number in multigene transgenic lines compared to wild type and mock plants. The multigene transgenic plants showed increased growth of lateral roots, chlorophyll content, and stay-green nature in drought stress compared to wild type and mock plants. Expression analysis of transgenes, MuMYB96, MuWRKY3, and MuNAC4 and their downstream target genes, KCS6, KCR1, APX3, CSD1, LBD16 and DBP using qRT-PCR showed a two- to four-fold increase in transcript levels in multigene transgenic groundnut plants over wild type and mock plants under drought stress. Our study demonstrate that introducing multiple genes with simultaneous expression of genes is a viable option to improve stress tolerance and productivity under drought stress.

GROUNDNUT GENOTYPES’ DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT FOR YIELD AND OIL QUALITY TRAITS THROUGH MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Genetic variability is essential in plant breeding for crop adaptation in a specific environment, enhancing yield potential, creating resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improving quality attributes, and most importantly, selecting desirable and better parents for hybridization programs. The study was designed to ascertain the genotypic diversity of 54 accessions of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea). The study evaluated these accessions/genotypes for 13 different traits (morphological, yield, and oil quality) under the rainfed climate of Pakistan. Significant differences were observed for all studied traits. Likewise, significant difference in the percent coefficient of variability (CV%) was also found for these traits. The research included classifying the genotypes further into six different clusters using the Ward method. Principal component analysis was performed that showed variability in components for different traits. The first five principal components (PCs) showed an eigenvalue of more than one that contributed about 71.83% of the total observed variation. Major characters accounted for by PC1 included pod weight per plant, grain weight per plant, and the number of pods per plant. PC2 positively contributed to oleic acid and shelling percentage, PC3 contributed positively to dry pod yield, plant height, and days to flower initiation, and PC4 contributed for days to 50% flowering, the number of pods per plant, and dry pod yield. These data on genotypic diversity for studied traits in the recent investigation will help breed new groundnut lines to strengthen germplasm sources for cultivar development in rainfed areas of Pakistan.

Hereditary analysis and genotype × environment interaction effects on growth and yield components of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) over multi-environments

This investigation was carried out to explore G × E interaction for yield and its associated attributes in 30 Bambara groundnut genotypes across four environments in tropical Malaysia. Such evaluations are essential when the breeding program's objective is to choose genotypes with broad adaption and yield potential. Studies of trait relationships, variance components, mean performance, and genetic linkage are needed by breeders when designing, evaluating, and developing selection criteria for improving desired characteristics in breeding programs. The evaluation of breeding lines of Bambara groundnut for high yield across a wide range of environments is important for long-term production and food security. Each site's experiment employed a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Data on vegetative and yield component attributes were recorded. The analysis of variance revealed that there were highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) differences among the 30 genotypes for all variables evaluated. A highly significant and positive correlation was identified between yield per hectare and dry seed weight (0.940), hundred seed weight (0.844), fresh pod weight (0.832), and total pod weight (0.750); the estimated correlation between dry weight of pods and seed yield was 1.0. The environment was more important than genotype and G × E in determining yield and yield components.A total of 49% variation is covered by PC1 (33.9%) and PC2 (15.1%) and the genotypes formed five distinct clusters based on Ward hierarchical clustering (WHC) method. The genotypes S5G1, S5G3, S5G5, S5G6, S5G8, S5G7, S5G2, S5G4, S5G10, S5G13, S5G11, and S5G14 of clusters I, II, and III were closest to the ideal genotype with superior yield across the environments. The PCA variable loadings revealed that an index based on dry pod weight, hundred seed weight, number of total pods and fresh pod weight could be used as a selection criteria to improve seed yield of Bambara groundnut.

Quantitative Trait Analysis Shows the Potential for Alleles from the Wild Species Arachis batizocoi and A. duranensis to Improve Groundnut Disease Resistance and Yield in East Africa

Diseases are the most important factors reducing groundnut yields worldwide. In East Africa, late leaf spot (LLS) and groundnut rosette disease (GRD) are the most destructive diseases of groundnut. Limited resistance is available in pure pedigree cultivated groundnut lines and novel sources of resistance are required to produce resistant new varieties. In this work, 376 interspecific lines from 3 different populations derived from crosses with the wild species A. duranensis, A. ipaënsis, A. batizocoi and A. valida were phenotyped for 2 seasons and across 2 locations, Serere and Nakabango, in Uganda. Several genotypes showed a higher yield, a larger seed, an earlier flowering, and similar resistance to the local cultivar checks. Genotypic data was used to construct a linkage map for the AB-QTL population involving the cross between Fleur11 and [A. batizocoi x A. duranensis]4x. This linkage map, together with the phenotypic data was used to identify quantitative trait loci controlling disease resistance. These lines will be useful in combining good agronomic traits and stacking disease resistance to improve the groundnut crop in sub-Saharan Africa.

Inventory of Pests and Diseases Intensity on 10 Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Lines in The Dryland of Madura, Indonesia, during The Dry Season

Landraces breeding scheme of bambara groundnut from various regions of Indonesia since 2012 provides several potential lines which are uniform, high yielding and drought-tolerant. Evaluation of resistance to pests and diseases is aimed to select potential lines which are resistant to pests and diseases and potential for development in Madura dry land during the dry season. The present study used descriptive method through field observation technique on 10 selected potential lines of Bambara groundnut. The results showed that there were 5 (five) types of pests and 4 types of diseases found in bambara groundnut crops planted during the dry season in Bangkalan Regency of Madura. The pests attacking more than 25% per plot were aphids, ladybugs and grasshoppers. A symptom of pathogen attacking more than 25% per plot were Bean common mosaic virus and soybean common mosaic virus. The GSG 1.1.1 potential line had the lowest pest attack and the BBL 2.1.1 potential line had the lowest disease incidence.

Agro-morphological diversity of Bambara groundnut lines evaluated under field conditions

Assessing agro-morphological variation is important for crop improvement strategies in cultivated species. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is a neglected crop that requires extensive agro-morphological characterisation to design suitable agronomic and crop improvement strategies. Nineteen Bambara groundnut lines were evaluated at two sites for agro-morphological traits in 2017 and 2018. The experiments were laid out as a split-split plot completely randomised design with three replications. The lines showed significant differences (p < 0.05) for all the traits except chlorophyll content and stomatal conductance. The observed genotypic differences would be useful for Bambara groundnut improvement if they are underpinned by genetic differences for recombination. Principal components 1 and 2 accounted for 52.31% of the variation showing that agro-morphological traits alone could not adequately discriminate between the Bambara groundnut lines. The most useful traits were root and shoot mass, plant height and leaf number. The negative and unfavourable correlations between seedling emergency and chlorophyll would complicate simultaneous selection for these traits during Bambara groundnut improvement. However, genetic dissimilarity indices indicated that there was genetic variation within the germplasm, which is important for Bambara groundnut improvement. Lines Kenya Capstone, Uniswa-Red-G, Uniswa-Red-R and KANO2 were selected for breeding and recommended for production due to their high performance in several key traits.

The Yield Stability and Adaptability of Bambara Groundnut at Three Locations

Varieties with high yield stability are required to increase the yield. This study examines the strength and adaptability of seven Bambara groundnut lines in three areas. The seven lines used are CCC 1.6, PWBG 6, PWBG 521, SS 342, SS 242, BBL 11, and TVSU 86 as checks. The research sites are Brawijaya University Experimental Station, Farmer field in Madiun and Indonesia Legumes, and Tuber Crop Research Institute (ILETRI) Research Station. Research is conducted from February to October 2020. The study used a randomized block design with three replications. The Eberhart-Russel and FinlayWilkinson methods were used to analyze stability and adaptability. The Genotype x Environmental interaction (GxE) results of the 7 Bambara groundnut lines are at 50% flowering time, seed weight per plant, 100-seed weight, yield, and harvest age. The stability and adaptability analysis shows that BBL 1.1 line is the variety with an earlier harvest period, highest yield potential, good stability, and wide adaptability. The CCC 1.1, PWBG 6, PWBG 5.2.1, and SS 2.4.2 production lines are stable in all experimental environments but low productivity. The SS 3.4.2 is suitable for planting in a production environment. TVSU 86 is ideal for producing in marginal habitats such as drought conditions.

Screening exotic groundnut (&lt;em&gt;Arachis hypogaea&lt;/em&gt; L.) lines for introducing as a small-seeded variety (ANKGN4/Tiny) in Sri Lanka

Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension is a peer-reviewed international scientific journal covering a wide range of subject areas in tropical and subtropical agriculture published quarterly by the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. The journal is also available on the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna website https://www.agri.ruh.ac.lk/tare/index.htm .

​​Identification of Groundnut Germplasm Lines for Foliar Disease Resistance and High Oleic Traits using SNP and Gene-based Markers and Their Morphological Characterization

Background: Resistance to foliar fungal diseases along with oleic acid trait, are important objectives of groundnut breeding. Among foliar fungal diseases, rust and Late Leaf Spot (LLS) cause significant economic loss and high oleic trait is preferred in industry that enhances economic values of crop. Methods: Morphological characterization of the 186-groundnut germplasm lines/genotypes for ten yield attributing traits and their significance of correlation was analyzed using SPSS ver. 19 software at 1% and 5% probability level of significance. Screening for LLS and rust diseases was done employing 10X SNP assay at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India. Selected superior groundnut germplasm line(s) were screened for presence of FAD2B allele responsible for high oleic acid traits using allele specific marker. Result: Significant and positive correlation was found between dry weight and hundred pod weight (r=0.0.801) and harvest index (r=0.0.830). Molecular characterization along with morphological characterization identified highly diversified lines of groundnut. This study reports 78 foliar fungal disease resistant groundnut germplasm lines. Selected 11 groundnut germplasm lines represented resistance against LLS and rust diseases along with FAD2B allele for oleic acid trait.

Evaluating nutritional content among Bambara groundnut lines

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) has the potential to address food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. However, a lack of cultivars with improved nutritional quality hinders its potential. This study evaluated nutritional content in the grain of 19 Bambara groundnut lines. The nutritional content of the lines varied significantly (p < 0.05) with lines Mix, Tiganecuru, and Pong-Br-UNK exhibiting the highest means for starch protein and fat contents, respectively. The first principal component (PC) accounted for 21.9 % of the variation and was strongly correlated with K (which contributed 20.1 %), ash (19.5 %), NDF (16.4 %) and ADF (14.8 %). The second PC explained 16.1 % of the variation and was significantly correlated to magnesium (19.7 %), starch (17.3 %) and protein (10.7 %). This is essential to select superior lines for developing Bambara groundnut breeding populations for improving nutrition in SSA. The negative correlations between some of the nutrient such as NDF and ash, NDF and K, and Mg and Mn would be a challenge for simultaneous selection to breed nutritious Bambara groundnut lines. Further, analyses of anti-nutrient chemicals is recommended.

Evaluation and Selection of Interspecific Lines of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) for Resistance to Leaf Spot Disease and for Yield Improvement.

Early and late leaf spot are two devastating diseases of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) worldwide. The development of a fertile, cross-compatible synthetic amphidiploid, TxAG-6 ([A. batizocoi × (A. cardenasii × A. diogoi)]4x), opened novel opportunities for the introgression of wild alleles for disease and pest resistance into commercial cultivars. Twenty-seven interspecific lines selected from prior evaluation of an advanced backcross population were evaluated for resistance to early and late leaf spot, and for yield in two locations in Ghana in 2006 and 2007. Several interspecific lines had early leaf spot scores significantly lower than the susceptible parent, indicating that resistance to leaf spot had been successfully introgressed and retained after three cycles of backcrossing. Time to appearance of early leaf spot symptoms was less in the introgression lines than in susceptible check cultivars, but the opposite was true for late leaf spot. Selected lines from families 43-08, 43-09, 50-04, and 60-02 had significantly reduced leaf spot scores, while lines from families 43-09, 44-10, and 63-06 had high pod yields. One line combined both resistance to leaf spot and high pod yield, and several other useful lines were also identified. Results suggest that it is possible to break linkage drag for low yield that accompanies resistance. However, results also suggest that resistance was diluted in many of the breeding lines, likely a result of the multigenic nature of resistance. Future QTL analysis may be useful to identify alleles for resistance and allow recombination and pyramiding of resistance alleles while reducing linkage drag.

Improved Groundnut Performance under Natural Field Leaf Spot and Rosette Mosaic Virus Infections in the South Western Agro-Ecological Zone of Uganda

For farmers to satisfy the food, nutrition and income demands on groundnut in the South Western Agro-Ecological Zone (SWAEZ), the accessibility, and adaptability of economically viable and high performing varietal and non-varietal technologies must increase to enhance production. Field experiments to evaluate the agronomic performance of advanced lines of improved nine AGRA red, nine Spanish and six Serenut varieties were concurrently carried out on-station at the Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MbaZARDI) in Mbarara District, Uganda. The AGRA red and Spanish groundnut lines showed high levels of rosette mosaic disease (GRD) tolerance in the zone. The short AGRA and Spanish lines were highly resistant to leaf spots, while the tall lines were highly susceptible to leaf spots, and not drought tolerant. The late maturing AGRA lines (SGV 99241 and SGV 99046), yielded better than the early maturing lines (SGV 99065 and SGV 99043). The best performing AGRA lines identified for promotion in the zone were SGV 99241, 99046, 99064, 99048, 99019 and 99032. The most leaf spot-resistant Spanish line was ICGV SM 02501, but lines ICGV SM 01514, ICGV SM 03590, ICGV SM 01515 and ICGV SM 01502 displayed varying levels of resistance during the two seasons of 2015. Spanish lines: ICGV SM 01502, ICGV SM 99568, ICGV SM 01504, ICGV SM 01510, ICGV SM 99555, ICGV SM 01514 and ICGV SM 01515 were suitable for growing in the SWAEZ. Spanish lines that were either highly resistant or resistant to groundnut rosette virus disease (GRD), unfortunately, were either moderately-susceptible or susceptible to the leaf spot diseases. Therefore, the tested Spanish lines were only suitable to environments that are prone to GRD but free of the leaf spot pathogens. AGRA red lines SGV 99241, SGV 99046, SGV 99064, SGV 99048, SGV 99019 and SGV 99032 were the best performing. Of the Serenut varieties evaluated, Serenut 5R was early maturing and rosette mosaic virus tolerant. Apart from Serenut 1; Serenut 2, 3R, 4R, 5R and 6T displayed very high levels of tolerance to rosette mosaic virus disease. The combination of moderate resistance (MR)-resistance (R) and high resistance (HR) in the AGRA red lines and Serenut varieties to leaf spots and rosette mosaic virus, respectively, indicated an effective control measure of the major groundnut disease problems in the zone. The integration of moderate-resistance to high disease resistance, high drought tolerance and high yielding potential in several Serenut, AGRA red and Spanish lines can enhance groundnut production if proper agronomic management practices and timely planting are applied.

Evaluation of Some Morphological Criteria to Drought Tolerance on Seedling of Bambara Groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] using Polyethylene Glycol (PEG6000)

Background: Bambara groundnut has the ability to drought tolerance and has high nutritional value and is one than Legume crops untapped, which need attention. Therefore in this research, it will look at the relationship between osmotic stress caused by a concentration of PEG and drought tolerance to get some genotypes has ability drought tolerance. Methods: The experiment was conducted in the Tissue culture Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, the University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia in January-March 2019. The objective of the experiment was an evaluation of some morphological criteria to drought tolerance on the seedling for thirty genotypes of Bambara groundnut using polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 by three concentrations (0%, 5% and 10%). A complete randomized design was used for this experiment with three replicates. Result: The 10% PEG was the most suitable concentration to select Bambara groundnut lines for drought tolerance. Genotypes give different responses to concentrations of PEG. In susceptible lines, there are germination constraints, such as Prevent and germination delayed, the formation of hypocotyl length, root length, fresh weight and dry matter, while drought-tolerant lines can germinate normally. Obtained six lines that were tolerant to drought, five local, namely BBL 1.1, PWBG 5.2.1, PWBG 6, SS 2.4.2, SS 3.4.2 and one from Thailand which is Tvsu 86.