Evaluation of Released and Local Groundnut Varieties against Groundnut Rust (Puccinia Arachidis) at Babile, Eastern Ethiopia

Groundnut is the most important oil crop in Hararghae, Eastern Ethiopia. Currently the production of the crop is threatened by a number of abiotic and biotic factors and leaf rust caused by Puccinia arachidis being one of the important biotic constraints in the area. Field experiments were carried out at Babile Research Sub-Station of Haramaya University in 2010 main cropping season to assess the reaction of seven released and two local groundnut varieties against rust. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications for groundnut variety screening. The evaluated nine varieties varied significantly in disease severity, AUDPC, disease progress rate, yield and yield components. The tested varieties had varying reactions to the disease, on the basis of which four groups were identified, viz. resistant (one variety), moderately resistant (four varieties), moderately susceptible (two varieties) and susceptible (two varieties). The most resistant of all the varieties was Werer 962, which showed PSI of 36.41%, AUDPC of 251.61%-days, disease progress rate of 0.010 unit per day and rust scale of (2.68) value. This resistant variety (Werer 962) produced the highest yield of all the rest varieties. In the future, more extensive studies for assessment of varieties for specific regions and identification of control measures against groundnut rust would contribute to stabilizing groundnut production in eastern Ethiopia.