Estimation of Genetic Parameters and Selection Potential in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes

Abstract:

A comprehensive genetic evaluation was conducted on seventy groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) genotypes, including eight control varieties, during the Summer-2026 season using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Fourteen quantitative and qualitative traits were assessed to determine genetic variability, heritability and selection potential. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant genetic differences among genotypes for all traits except days to maturity, indicating substantial genetic diversity within the experimental material. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was recorded for harvest index (27.00%), with moderate GCV values for yield-contributing traits including biological yield per plant (19.05%), number of mature pods per plant (17.09%) and 100-kernel weight (16.36%). Phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values was consistently higher than GCV values, with harvest index showing the highest PCV (27.77%), followed by kernel yield per plant (22.93%), number of mature pods per plant (22.06%) and biological yield per plant (24.56%), indicating good scope for effective selection. High broad-sense heritability estimates (>60%) were observed for nine traits, with harvest index showing the highest heritability (94.53%), followed by 100-kernel weight (86.05%) and sound mature kernel (82.74%). Notably, traits exhibiting both high heritability and high genetic advance as a percentage of mean—namely harvest index (54.09%), 100-kernel weight (31.27%), biological yield per plant (30.44%) and number of mature pods per plant (27.28%) demonstrated exceptional potential for phenotypic selection. These findings indicate the predominance of additive gene action and minimal environmental influence on these traits, suggesting that direct selection will be highly effective for improving groundnut productivity and its contributing attributes.