Analysis of Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance among 61 Genotypes of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to quantify genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance among 61 diverse groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) genotypes along with five check varieties during Kharif 2024 at the Agricultural Research Farm of Lovely Professional University, Punjab. The material was evaluated in an augmented design with each genotype planted in 3 m rows at 45 cm × 10 cm spacing. Eleven agro-morphological and yield-related traits plant height, 100-pod weight, 100-kernel weight, shelling percentage, days to maturity, days to 50% flowering, pod yield per plant, biological yield, sound mature kernel percentage, harvest index, and kernel yield per plant were recorded. ANOVA revealed highly significant differences (p < 0.01) among the genotypes for all traits, indicating the presence of sufficient genetic variability for selection. Several characters such as pod yield per plant, kernel yield per plant, 100-pod weight, and days to 50% flowering showed strong discrimination among test genotypes and checks, confirming wide diversity and superior performance of certain accessions. Variability parameters showed that PCV values were only marginally higher than corresponding GCV values, reflecting limited environmental influence and the predominance of genetic factors. Moderate GCV was observed for plant height (15.62%) and days to 50% flowering (13.40%), whereas most other traits exhibited low GCV. Heritability estimates were notably high for plant height (95.98%), shelling percentage (95.96%), days to 50% flowering (95.28%), days to maturity (93.15%) and kernel yield per plant (91.57%), demonstrating strong genetic control and reliability of direct selection. High genetic advance as percent of mean (GAM) recorded for plant height (31.58%) and days to 50% flowering (26.99%) further indicated the predominance of additive gene action for these traits. Moderate GAM values for 100-pod weight (13.02%), 100-kernel weight (12.82%), shelling percentage (16.38%), pod yield (11.36%) and kernel yield (10.97%) revealed good prospects of improvement through selection. Collectively, traits expressing high heritability coupled with moderate to high GAM particularly plant height, days to 50% flowering and shelling percentage emerge as reliable selection indices for groundnut improvement. Overall, the study confirms ample exploitable variability within the evaluated germplasm and identifies key yield-related traits with strong genetic determinism. The results provide a robust genetic foundation for developing high-yielding, early-maturing and quality-enhanced groundnut cultivars suitable for diverse agro-ecological conditions.