Effect of water stress during flowering and pegging on the growth and yield of six varieties of groundnut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i> L.)

Abstract

Groundnut is an important oil seed crop whose growth and pod yield is affected by dry spells especially in drier areas. The availability of drought tolerant varieties is crucial in breeding for drought resistance of the crop. This study was carried out to study the effect of water stress on yield of groundnut and to identify drought tolerant varieties for production and use in breeding. Six groundnut varieties: (SAMNUT 14, SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 23, SAMNUT 24, SAMNUT 25 and SAMNUT 26) were evaluated in the study. Water stress was imposed by withholding water for 10days at 50% flowering for each variety. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters and these were subjected to analysis of variance using SAS package (2002). Results obtained in the study showed that water stress significantly (P<0.05) decreased all the growth and yield parameters. Among the varieties evaluated, SAMNUT 14 recorded the lowest leaf area (271cm²) while SAMNUT 23 recorded higher chlorophyll a (79mg/cm²), chlorophyll b (58mg/cm²) and total chlorophyll content (141mg/cm²). SAMNUT 14 and SAMNUT 23 also produced higher number of pods, pod weight and number of seeds per plant than the other varieties. The present study revealed that SAMNUT 23 and SAMNUT 14 proved more tolerant to water stress compared to the other varieties. These varieties could be used for genetic enhancement for drought resistance in groundnut.