Confectionery Groundnut Genotypes (Arachis hypogaea L.): A Study on Genetic Variability Parameters with Special Reference to Confectionery Traits Improvement

Diverse groundnut parents were used to generate 36 advanced breeding lines to develop into a confectionery genotype for yield, quality, and main biotic stress. Groundnut use is increasing in both food and confectionary due to the steady change in groundnut consumption patterns. Advanced breeding lines evaluated in randomized complete block design including parents and checks during kharif and summer, 2021 respectively. High genetic variability (%) and heritability (%) observed for hundred seed weight (21.08 & 86.34), pod yield per plant (25.37 & 87.66), pod yield (31.63 & 83.71), late leaf spot (32.71 & 79.16), rust disease (39.86 & 87.06), oil content (2.55 & 79.60), Blanchability (18.76 & 97.00), oleic acid (8.52 & 72.90), linoleic acid (16.32 & 73.40) and O/L ratio (24.64 & 73.60) respectively. The correlation between hundred seed weight, sound mature kernels, shelling percentage and pod yield per plant with kernel yield showed positive association. Rust and LLS disease revealed a high positive connection indicating that an increase in late leaf spot disease incidence enhances the incidence of rust disease and vice versa in groundnut. Substantial negative association was found between two crucial quality parameters such as oil content and protein content, as these two characteristics determine the quality of groundnut for confectionary purposes. Path analysis indicates kernel yield had the greatest direct positive effect on pod yield, followed by seed weight, oil content and sound mature kernel and direct selection for these characteristics would be effective. The path analysis of quality attributes revealed that at the genotypic level, oil content, protein content, and O/L ratio have the most direct effect on hundred seed weight.