MULTIVARIATE SELECTION OF GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA L.) ADVANCE BREEDING LINES FOR IN SITU GERMINATION TOLERANCE AND SUPERIOR AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

In situ germination of mature groundnut seeds at harvest is an important problem that can reduce seed quality and affect market value, particularly when rainfall occurs during harvesting. The present study was conducted to identify promising breeding lines that are tolerant to in situ germination with good yield and suitable maturity, and to examine the usefulness of different multi-trait selection approaches. Eighteen advanced breeding lines and five checks were evaluated in a randomized complete block design during kharif 2023–24 at Dharwad, Karnataka. Significant variation was observed among the genotypes for all traits studied. In situ germination showed high heritability (93.21%) along with high genetic advance, indicating good potential for selection. It was negatively associated with days to 50% flowering (r = −0.59) and days to maturity (r = −0.43) and was non-significantly associated with other agronomic traits. The first two principal components accounted for 58.1% of the total variation, with yield-related and phenological traits contributing substantially to genotype differentiation. Six selection indices ranked different breeding lines, however, DBG 22, DBG 20, GND 16 and R20019 × GPBD 6-1 were repeatedly selected by several indices. Overall, the identified breeding lines and multi-trait selection approaches provide useful resources for breeding groundnut cultivars with improved in situ germination tolerance while maintaining desirable yield and maturity, thereby supporting the development of cultivars better suited to harvest-period rainfall conditions.