Farmers’ perceived constraints to groundnut production, their variety choice and preferred traits in eastern Ethiopia: implications for drought-tolerance breeding

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food and cash crop globally. The eastern region of Ethiopia is known for its groundnut production despite the low productivity attributable to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses and socioeconomic constraints. The objective of this study was to assess farmers’ perceivedproductionconstraints,varietychoice,andpreferredtraits of groundnut in eastern Ethiopia to guide future groundnut variety development and release. Participatory rural appraisal studies were conducted in two major groundnut-producing districts (Babile and Fedis) in eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, transect walks, and focusgroupdiscussions.Allrespondentfarmerswidelycultivated localorobsolete,introducedvarietiesbecauseofalackofseedof modern groundnut cultivars. Ninety percent of respondents reported drought stress, mainly occurring during the flowering stage, as the leading constraint to groundnut production. Other groundnut production constraints included poor soil fertility (reported by 88% of respondents), lack of access to improved seed (67%), pre-harvest diseases (59.5%), use of low yielding varieties (52.5%), inadequate access to extension services (41.5%), limited access to credit (21.5%), and limited availability ofimprovedvarieties(18.5).Farmer-preferredtraitsincludedhigh shelled yield (reported by 27.67% of respondents), early maturity (16.84%), tolerance to drought stress (13.67%), market value (11.17%), good seed quality (10%), adaptability to local growing conditions (5.8%), and resistance to diseases (5.17%). Therefore, theaforementionedproduction constraintsandfarmer-preferred traits are key drivers that need to be integrated into groundnut breeding and variety release programs in eastern Ethiopia

Cultural Management Practices of Groundnut : Scaling-up of Improved Groundnut Varieties through Established Seed System in Various Cropping Systems of Smallholder Farmers in Odisha

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a self-pollinated, allotetraploid (2n=4x=40) with a genome size of 2891 Mbp, and was most likely domesticated and cultivated in the valleys of Paraguay. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing 30 to 50 cm (1.0 to 1.6 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs; no terminal leaflet), each leaflet 1 to 7 cm (⅜ to 2¾ inch) long and 1 to 3 cm (⅜ to 1 inch) broad. Groundnut are known by many other local names such as peanut, earthnut, goober peas, monkey nut, pygmy nut and pignut. Despite its name and appearance, groundnut is not a nut, but rather a species in the legume or “bean” family. Groundnuts are rich in essential nutrients which are potential to provide health benefits. Groundnut gives 570 calories per 100 g serving and are an excellent source of several B vitamins; vitamin E; dietary minerals, such as manganese (95% DV), magnesium (52% DV), phosphorous (48% DV); and dietary fiber (right table). They also contain about 25% protein per 100 g serving, a higher proportion than in many tree nuts..

Phenotyping for Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Improvement

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is grown world over for oil and food uses. It is a self-pollinated crop with low genetic diversity. The origin of the crop from single hybridization event followed by chromosome doubling as well as crossing barriers of cultivated species with wild species due to ploidy differences rendered the crop with narrow genetic variability. Developing new varieties with increased yield potential and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses that meet the needs of the growers, processors and consumers is the primary objective of groundnut breeding. In this chapter, we discuss about phenotyping tools used in groundnut improvement programs for various targeted traits. Both field and laboratory tools are described to screen for resistance to diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, virus and nematodes. Phenotyping based on Cumulative Thermal Time (CTT) is used to select for early maturity. Phenotyping for complex traits can be challenging. Either empirical approach that involves measuring the yield under imposed drought stress or salinity conditions or trait based approach using surrogates or a combination of both are used for phenotyping abiotic stresses. Phenotyping for Aspergillus contamination needs improvement to derive reliable and reproducible results. Estimation of quality and nutritional parameters generally involves use of destructive and laborious chemical or physical procedures. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), a robust and non-destructive method is gaining popularity for estimation of oil, protein, carbohydrate and fatty acid contents. Methods for estimating oil, protein, sugar and micronutrient concentrations and fatty acid composition of seeds and haulm quality traits are describe

Economic and Academic Importance of Peanut

Peanut is an important oil, food and feed crop of the world. The kernels are rich in fats and protein, and 100 g of kernels provide 567 kcal of energy and 8.5 g of dietary fiber. Peanuts are source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and health improving bioactive compounds such as resveratrol, tocopherol, arginine etc. and hence are touted as functional food. Consumption of peanuts can reduce risk of inflammation, diabetes, cancer, alzheimer’s and gallstone disease. Peanut is cultivated in over 100 countries, with over 95% of cultivated area in Asia and Africa. Aflatoxin and allergens are major health deterrents in peanut and more research efforts are needed to develop aflatoxin and allergen free peanuts. There is a great demand for peanut and peanut-based products in the international market, especially for confectionary types. Breeding new cultivars that meet the needs of the producers, consumers and industry is an important research area with implications along the value chain. Conventional breeding approaches and phenotyping tools were widely used to breed several varieties and in the last decade, genomic tools are integrated for making selections. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools and the availability of the draft genome sequence of the diploid progenitors of peanut A. duranensis and A. ipaensis is expected to play a key role in sequencing the genome of cultivated peanut. Transgenic peanuts with resistance to herbicide, fungus, virus, and insects; tolerance to drought and salinity and improved grain quality are under testing at different containment levels. The availability of sophisticated tools for both genotyping and phenotyping will lead to an increase in our understanding of key genes involved and their metabolic regulatory pathways

Technologies for Intensification of Production and Uses of Grain Legumes for Nutrition Security

Malnutrition resulting from intake of food poor in nutritional value, particularly lacking in micronutrients, has been recognized as a serious health problem in developing countries including India. Nutritional security is a priority for India. Crop diversification in agriculture contributes to balanced diet and nutritional security. Production intensification of nutrient-dense crops, contributes to their increased production, and consequently enhances their accessibility at affordable prices to meet nutritional security. Grain legumes produce nutrient-dense grains rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients essential for growth and development. However, cultivation of grain legumes is often neglected resulting in poor production in the country, and consequently poor access to legumes at affordable prices. Pigeonpea or red gram (Cajanus cajan L.), chickpea or bengal gram (Cicer arietinum L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), the three nutritious grain legumes are grown widely across the country and are major constituents of Indian diets. They are climate- resilient crops adapted to water-limiting conditions making them choice crops for cultivation in adverse conditions. Policy options for promoting cultivation and increased production of pigeon pea, chickpea and groundnut are needed. Technology options for intensification of their cultivation include improved cultivars of grain legumes with enhanced adaptation and nutritional properties, their processing, plugging post-harvest and storage losses, and development of alternative food products. The chapter discusses the contribution of agriculture to nutritional security and the need to diversify cultivation of crops to include nutrient-dense grain legumes, and intensification of their cultivation to achieve their enhanced production and productivity. The scope to develop bio-fortified grain legumes is also discussed. Some countries have successfully harnessed the potential of processed grain legumes for use as food supplements for children and elderly, as well as to prepare ready-to-use-therapeutic-food products to treat acute malnutrition

Yield Stability of Groundnut Cultivars in Ralstonia Wilt Endemic Areas in Indonesia

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) is an important production constraint production of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in some countries of Asia including Indonesia. Seventeen wilt resistant lines, including 11 breeding lines, developed from the germplasm obtained from International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), five improved cultivars, and a susceptible check cultivar (i.e., MLGG 0627) were tested for their pod yield and stability of resistance to bacterial wilt in five bacterial wilt endemic areas in Indonesia. The plant wilt intensity across all locations was high on the susceptible check cultivar, indicating severe incidence of the disease. Among the improved cultivars, only Gajah exhibited resistance to the disease and its resistance was stable across locations, whereas the other five improved cultivars were susceptible to the disease. Eight out of the 11 breeding lines were highly resistant to this bacterial wilt, comparable or even higher than Gajah’s resistant level. All the resistant gentotypes produced average pod yield of 2.23 t ha–1, ranging from 1.01 to 3.28 t ha–1 , which was higher compared to pod yield of the susceptible lines. Only two breeding lines (i.e., ChiIc-8 and LPTr-12) exhibited high yield potential (i.e., >3.0 t ha−1). Average pod yield of susceptible genotypes ranged from 0.09 to 2.5 t ha–1 (mean, 0.87 t ha-1)

Resistance and yield stability of groundnut cultivars on Ralstonia wilt endemic areas in central of Java, Indonesia

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is an important production constraint of groundnut over large areas in some countries of Asia including Indonesia. Seventeen wilt resistant lines including 11 breeding lines developed from ICRISAT germplasm, five improved cultivars, as well as a susceptible check (MLGG 0627) were tested for their pod yield and stability of resistance to bacterial wilt in five bacterial wilt endemic areas. The plant wilt intensity acros locations were high, indicated severe incidence of the disease. Among the improved cultivars only Gajah that showed resistance to the disease and resistance is stable across the five locations, where as the other improved cultivars were susceptible. Eight out of the 11 breeding lines were highly resistant, comparable or even higher than Gajah’s resistant level. The level of resistance to bacterial wilt disease was highly contributes to the ability to deliver higher pod yield in bacterial wilt endemic areas

Past, Present and Future Perspectives on Groundnut Breeding in Burkina Faso

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a major food and cash crop in Burkina Faso. Due to the growing demand for raw oilseeds, there is an increasing interest in groundnut production from traditional rain-fed areas to irrigated environments. However, despite implementation of many initiatives in the past to increase groundnut productivity and production, the groundnut industry still struggles to prosper due to the fact of several constraints including minimal development research and fluctuating markets. Yield penalty due to the presence of drought and biotic stresses continue to be a major drawback for groundnut production. This review traces progress in the groundnut breeding that started in Burkina Faso before the country’s political independence in 1960 through to present times. Up to the 1980s, groundnut improvement was led by international research institutions such as IRHO (Institute of Oils and Oleaginous Research) and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). However, international breeding initiatives were not su�cient to establish a robust domestic groundnut breeding programme. This review also provides essential information about opportunities and challenges for groundnut research in Burkina Faso, emphasising the need for institutional attention to genetic improvement of the crop

Improving cultivation of groundnuts

Groundnut (also known as peanut) (Arachis hypogaea L.), a native of South America, has often been referred to as an unpredictable legume in the past (Gregory and Gregory, 1979; Hammons, 1994). The genus Arachis contains 81 described species, categorized into nine taxonomic sections, and includes both diploids and tetraploids belonging to either annual or perennial type. The classification is based on morphology, geographical distribution and cross-compatibility among the species (Valls and Simpson, 2005). The only cultivated groundnut, Arachis hypogaea L., is further divided into two sub-species ‘hypogaea’ and ‘fastigata’ based on the branching pattern and the distribution of vegetative and reproductive axes. Although it has been known to humankind for many centuries, its commercial cultivation started only in early 1900, when it began receiving research attention..

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) improvement in sub-Saharan Africa: a review

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a multi-purpose legume crop widely cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, yield levels of the crop has remained relatively low in SSA owing to a range of biotic, abiotic and socio-economic constraints. A dedicated groundnut improvement programme integrating new tools and methodologies to breed varieties suitable for current and emerging agro-ecologies and market needs is essential for enhanced and sustainable groundnut production in SSA. The objective of this review is to highlight breeding progress, opportunities and challenges on groundnut improvement with regard to cultivar development and deployment in SSA in order to guide future improvement of the crop. The review analysed the role of new tools in breeding such as, high-throughput and automated phenotyping techniques, rapid generation advancement, single seed descent approach, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, next-generation sequencing, genetic engineering and genome editing for accelerated breeding and cultivar development of groundnut