Genetic analysis of some agronomic traits in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

A 10×10 half diallel experiment was conducted on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to ascertain the gene action and genetic parameters of ten traits including 50% flowering, no. of pods per plant, plant height, harvest index, pod index, 100 pod weight, 100 kernel weight, pod size, diseases infection and yield per plot. The experiments were carried out in the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during the cropping season of 2010-2011. The estimates of gene effects indicated that significance of both additive and non-additive variance for pod size, 100 pod weight and diseases infection among the traits and presence of over dominance satisfying assumptions of diallel except dormancy. However, both the additive and non-additive gene affects together importance to control of most quantitative traits in the groundnut. The average degree of dominance (H1/D) 1/2 (H1 = dominance variance, D = additive variance) was higher than one, indicating over dominance for all the traits. The narrow-sense heritability was high for 50% flowering (38%), harvest index (35%), pod size (52%), 100 pod weight (35%) and yield per plot (41%) indicating that great genetic gain could be achieved for them.