INHERITANCE OF 2 COMPONENTS OF EARLY MATURITY IN GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS-HYPOGAEA L)

Knowledge of inheritance of early maturity or its components is important to groundnut breeders in developing short-duration cultivars. This study was conducted to determine the inheritance of two components of early maturity: days to first flower from sowing, and days to accumulation of 25 flowers from the appearance of first flower, using three groundnut genotypes. Two early-maturing (Chico and Gangapuri) and one late-maturing (M 13) genotypes were crossed in all possible combinations, including reciprocals. The parents, F-1, F-2, F-3, and backcross populations were evaluated for days to first flower from sowing, and for days to accumulation of 25 flowers. The data suggest that days to first flower in the crosses studied is governed by a single gene with additive gene action. Chico and Gangapuri possess the same allele for this component of earliness. Three independent genes with complete dominance at each locus appear to control the days to accumulation of 25 flowers. In crosses between late (M 13) and early (Chico or Gangapuri) parents, a segregation pattern suggesting dominant-recessive epistasis (13 late:3 early) was observed for this component. Segregation in the Fz generation (1 late: 15 early) of both early parents (Chico x Gangapuri) indicated that the genes for early accumulation of flowers in these two parents are at different loci.