Abstract:
Groundnut, Arachis hypogea. L., which belongs to the family Fabaceae, is a popular
oil crop in Sri Lanka. Pod is the economically important parts of the groundnut.
However, pod filling is one of the significant yield components and it is a primary
problem in groundnut cultivation that decides the yield and demand of the
Groundnut. Therefore, the present study was conducted to select the characters
correlated with pod filling ability. Specifically, to identify the cause and effect of the
relationship between different pairs of characters, select the parents for future
breeding programs and improve a complex character like pod filling ability.
Therefore, this study was carried out from February to May 2021 to perform
principal component and correlation analysis of selected groundnut varieties and
few advanced breeding lines toward their pod filling ability. Seeds of selected
twelve germplasms viz., Lanka Jumbo, ANKG1, Tissa, Indi, Tikiri, KCGN1, K2, K3, K4,
K5, MUK and MU lines were used. This experiment was conducted using
Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates each with twelve plots.
Fifty-four seeds per line were planted in each plot. Selected phenotypic characters
of groundnut were recorded from ten randomly selected plants from each plot.
Principle component and correlation analysis were carried out on all recorded
observations related to pod filling. The results revealed that the number of days to
first flowering, number of days to 50% flowering, plant height at 50% flowering and
plant height at maturity were the principal components that had a higher influence
on traits within the analyzed components. Moreover, the number of days to 50%
flowering and number of pegs per plant had a greater correlation with grain filling.
Therefore, this study concludes that the selection based on these characters will
lead to simultaneous improvement in pod filling in Groundnut.
