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Research Article
Genetic progress has brought about increase in yield potential per se for almost all production areas
around the world. The present study examines the relationship of groundnut yield with year of release,
yield components and other agro-morphological traits using aggregative data from 1976 to 2012 to
calculate genetic gain in groundnut grain yield across four locations in Eastern Ethiopia. The direct
method, that compares cultivars with their year of release, was used. The relative gain for groundnut
grain yield was 1.08% since 1976. A deeper understanding of these issues facilitates the identification of
specific yield-limiting factors that can be used for future breeding strategies. Grain yield, 100 seed weight,
plant height and harvest index were significantly correlated with year of release for tested locations,
emphasizing the most promising traits for groundnut breeders in the past. These traits were also
responsible for the significant genetic progress in groundnut yield in Ethiopia since 1976. Further
improvement in the yield potential of groundnut will have to involve increase in other traits, like pod weight
per plant, seed weight per plant, that have shown significant positive correlation with grain yield.
Key words: relative genetic gain, genetic progress, grain yield, groundnut
INTRODUCTION
Documentation of the contribution of plant breeding to a common environments is the most comprehensive and
given crop yield improvement and evaluation of the past direct method that have been used to estimate progress
gains are useful for identifying areas with potential for in yield improvement (Lange and Federizzi, 2009).
planning a future breeding program (Waddington et al., Besides quantifying the progress obtained in a certain
1986). Evans (1993) advocated that an understanding of period, the genetic gain analysis also enables
changes produced by crop breeding on grain yield and aggregation of other information such as comparison of
its determinants were important to evaluate the efficiency the gains obtained with the use of different breeding
of past improvement work on the advances in genetic strategies or in different environments (Specht and
yield potential, and to define future selection criteria to Williams, 1984).
facilitate further progress. Genotype, environment and
management interact to determine the yield of a crop. *Corresponding Author: Zekeria Yusuf, Biology Department,
Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Email Address:
However, no method of estimating long-term zakoyusuf@yahoo.com
Co-authors: wubeno@yahoo.com (H. Zeleke),
improvement progress can completely separate genetic
wasmoha@yahoo.com (W. Mohammed),
effects per se and their interaction effect. Nevertheless, shimelish@ukzn.ac.za (S. Hussein), HugoA@ufs.ac.za (A.
evaluation of popular cultivars from different years in Hugo)
Genetic Progress for Yield, Yield Components and Other Agronomic Characters of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea L.) Cultivars in Eastern Ethiopia
Yusuf et al 238
Genetic Progress for Yield, Yield Components and Other Agronomic Characters of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea L.) Cultivars in Eastern Ethiopia
Int. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci. 239
Table 2. Genotypes used in the study with their year of release and pedigree
Table 3. Mean yield of groundnut varieties with performance relative to the oldest variety
Table 4. Mean grain yield, absolute yield gain, and relative yield gain evaluated across four locations.
Trait Trait mean (kg/ha) Intercept Absolute gain (slope) Relative gain(%)
PH 29.55 -252.98 0.14** 0.66
NMP 41.80 207.12 -0.08 -0.22
NBP 11.43 -23.66 0.02 0.18
AGBP 67.68 -57.33 0.06 0.10
PWP 40.09 129.17 -0.05 -0.10
SWP 33.68 -215.86 0.13 0.54
NSP 66.54 154.73 -0.04 -0.08
ShP 61.58 -119.29 0.09 0.17
100SW 55.48 -812.72 0.43** 0.88
HI 26.61 -207.15 0.12* 0.51
NSPod 1.59 3.23 -0.001 -0.07
GY 3156.2 -54019 29.0** 1.10
PH: plant height; NMP: number of mature pod per plant; NBP: number of branches per plant; AGBP: above
ground biomass per plant; PWP: pod weight per plant; SWP: seed weight per plant; NSP: number of seeds
per plant; SHP: shelling percent; 100SW: 100 seed weight; HI: harvest index; NSPod: number of seeds per
pod; GY: grain yield (kg/ha).
insight for possible future opportunities to exploit the The yield levels varied significantly from 2143 to 3763
genetic potential of the crop for enhanced production. kg/ha among the 16 varieties (Table 4). A linear
regression equation showed that the relationship
As the slope of the linear regression (Table 4 and fig. 1) between yield and year of release was highly significant
of NMP, NBP, AGBP, PWP, SWP, NSP, SHP and (P 0.01) as indicated in fig 1. Across 36 years of
NSPOD for the time period of 1976 to 2012 did not differ groundnut breeding, 1.1% improvement of yield or 0.03%
significantly from zero indicating that no genetic gain can increase per year was achieved (Table 4). Ntare and
be estimated for these traits. This shows that breeding Waliyar (1994) reported similar result for the large-
programs so far employed has made little improvement seeded Virginia type groundnut, with a relative genetic
of these characters or due to the recent erratic climatic gain of 1.3-3.2% per year, which is in agreement with the
conditions or the use of some unfavorable locations. To findings of this study. There were no indication of yield
overcome such problems, the present study potential plateau in groundnut varieties over the period of
recommends the consideration of more number of the study (Fig 1) which indicates that further
replications as many locations as possible. In contrast, improvement is possible to increase yield and this
the relative gain for PH, 100SW and GY were provides clues for breeders to further exploit (increase)
significantly different from zero. However, associated the yield potential of the existing groundnut varieties.
with low coefficient of determination (R2 ) results in
difficulty of generalization. This finding doesn't agree with Implication on future breeding strategy
previous report by Fikire et al., 2012 who obtained
significant genetic gain for other traits like PWP, HI, and Correlation analyses of yield components with year of
SWP. release provide important selection criteria for the further
Genetic Progress for Yield, Yield Components and Other Agronomic Characters of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea L.) Cultivars in Eastern Ethiopia
Int. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci. 241
Table 5. Correlation coefficients of the year of release with yield components and other agronomic traits
Trait CV (%) PH NMP NBP AGBP PWP SWP NSP ShP 100SW HI NSPod GY (kgha1 ) year
PH 10.84 0.21** 0.06 0.49** -0.07 0.48** 0.06 0.07 0.09 -0.34** -0.30** -0.003 0.23**
NMP 23.86 0.35** 0.43** 0.51** 0.31** 0.64** -0.03 -0.15* -0.09 -0.33** 0.21** -0.06
NBP 24.37 0.42** 0.18* 0.21** 0.25** -0.19** 0.09 -0.24** -0.28** 0.26** 0.04
AGBP 28.98 0.36** 0.31** 0.11 -0.24** 0.21** -0.61** -0.52** 0.15* 0.02
PWP 24.72 0.06 0.48** -0.02 0.31** 0.14 -0.07 0.32** -0.03
SWP 28.90 0.21** 0.15* 0.17* 0.02 -0.26** 0.03 0.08
NSP 21.93 0.09 -0.23** 0.23** 0.16* 0.14 -0.02
ShP 6.24 0.06 0.39** 0.12 0.10 0.11
100SW 2.32 0.09 -0.26** 0.34** 0.27**
HI 17.36 0.41** 0.08 0.14*
NSPod 8.84 -0.22** -0.03
GY 14.6 0.23**
year
PH: plant height; NMPP: number of mature pod per plant; NBP: number of branches per plant; AGBP: above ground biomass per plant; PWP:
pod weight per plant; SWP: seed weight per plant; NSP: number of seeds per plant; SHP: shelling percent; 100SW: 100 seed weight; HI: harvest
index; NSPod: number of seeds per pod; GY: grain yield (kg/ha).
improvement of yield potential in breeding programs (Wu provide increased tolerance to abiotic and biotic
et al., 2014). Relationships between grain yield and year stresses. The major challenge for groundnut production
of release were positive and significant. Moreover, PH, is Ethiopia is being biotic stress due to pathogenic fungi,
100SW and HI were also significant and positively nematodes and insect pests. The small yield gain
related to year of release (Table 5). However, the other obtained during the period might be due to these biotic
characters including NMP, NBP, AGBP, PWP, SWP, stresses. Present results demonstrate the overwhelming
NSP, SHP and NSPOD did not depict strong importanceof plant breeding in improving groundnut
relationships with year of release. Similarly, groundnut productivity in Ethiopia. Significant increases in grain
grain yield revealed positive and strong relationships with yield, 100seed weight, plant height and harvest index
NMP, NBP, PWP, and 100SW. Other yield components have contributed to the continuousgenetic gain in yield
did not demonstrate consistent relationships with grain potential groundnut from 1976 to 2012 across locations
yield. These findings imply that, since 1976, PH, 100SW, in Eastern Ethiopia. Despite the genetic progress and
and HI traits have been widely used as promising traits cultivation technologies employed, the continuously
for groundnut yield progress in Ethiopia. The future growing population creates a mismatch that representsa
breeding strategy further more should focus on other serious challenge for future food security (FAO, 2006). It
traits that are positively and significantly correlated with can be suggested that integrated crop
grain yield including SWP, PWP, NMP, NBP and others. managementshould be prioritized as an approach for
The coefficients of variance (CV) for all parameters are sustainableagricultural research and implementation.
given in Table 5. The results show that AGBP and SWP Thepresent study suggests that increasing genetic gain
had maximum values, whereas 100SW and SHP had for groundnut yield is the most crucial strategy for
among the minimum values. Greater CV of AGBP and increasing groundnut production.
SWP, implied that it has been experienced as easy
identifiable agronomic trait for plant breeder in a long
time. Selecting large SWP was possible due to greater ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
grain weight. Lower CV of 100SW and SHP suggested
that it is difficult to improve due to ceiling limit although it Authors are grateful to Haramaya University School of
has been regarded as promising trait. This finding is graduate Studies and HU Research Office for their
comparable to several previous reports (Zhou et al., funding support, Mechara and Pawe Agricultural
2007a; Tian et al., 2011; Wu et al., 2014) Research Centers for their provision of plantation land
and other supports in agronomic management and data
collections.
CONCLUSION
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