Molecular characterization of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) germplasm lines and varietal set for yield and yield attributing traits

The genetic assessment of 90 germplasm lines and six varieties of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) were done with 13 morphological traits and 125 Simple Sequence Repeats markers. Out of 125 molecular markers, 26 were polymorphic and produced 105 alleles. The genetic diversity was found to be 52-83 per cent and Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) was 0.46-0.81 with a mean of 0.42 indicating higher magnitude of genetic diversity in the test genotypes. Analysis of molecular variance showed variation among and within individuals based on allelic variation. Principal Co-ordinate Analysis based on origin of the genotypes formed three major population groups and the genetic analysis determined by population structure divided all the germplasm lines in to 10 populations. Significant and positive correlation was observed between hundred kernel weight and hundred pod weight (r=0.769) and kernel yield (r=0.899); sound mature kernel and pod weight with kernel yield, weight of kernels and harvest index. Genotypes from distinct clusters may be selected in hybridization programme for groundnut improvement. The information on clustering of genotypes will be helpful in identification of novel and superior germplasm for hybridization and development of improved varieties.