Screening of Rosette-resistant Short-duration Groundnut Breeding Lines for Yield and Other Characteristics

Eight short-duration groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) breeding lines and 5 controls were grown under rainfed conditions at Lilongwe, Malawi, during 1996-97 and subjected to low, medium or high rosette [groundnut rosette umbravirus] disease pressure. High and medium disease pressures were simulated by transplanting heavily-infected spreader plants. Short-duration lines gave mean seed yields of 1672, 417 and 397 kg/ha under low, medium and high disease pressures, respectively. In the low disease pressure trial, growth period was 12 days longer than in the high disease pressure trial. ICG12988 and ICG12991 produced significantly greater yields (1577-1688 kg/ha) under all disease pressures than the other breeding lines, and recorded among the lowest disease incidence (1%) at high disease pressure. ICG12988 and ICG12991 are landraces that were identified by ICRISAT (Malawi) during a global screening programme and are of the Spanish type with small, 2-seeded pods. Seeds of these 2 lines will be used in breeding programmes and further on-farm trials