Characterization of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) collection using quantitative and qualitative traits in the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity and relationship among 256 groundnut genotypes of which 132 belong to subspecies (Subsp.) Arachis hypogaea L. and 124 to Subsp. Arachis fastigiata L. The collection was evaluated for eight quantitative and five qualitative traits during three consecutive years under Mediterranean climate conditions. Coefficient of variation (CV) significantly differed among the genotypes for all the studied quantitative traits ranged from 9.10 to 33.98%, while the highest CV was recorded for seed yield. The subspecies, A. hypogaea L. and A. fastigiata L., displayed significant differences for quantitative traits except for numbers of pods per plant and seed yield. Principal component analyses showed that the first three principal components accounted for 68.14% variation for quantitative traits. Major traits that accounted for the variation by the three PCs include days to the first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of pods per plant and shelling percentage. The groundnut collection also offers wide seed coat color diversity which affects the crop marketability. The information on variations in quantitative and qualitative traits identified in the present investigation provided useful genotypes which would be serving parents. These parental genotypes can be used in groundnut breeding programs to develop desirable cultivars in Mediterranean basin and globally.