Variability and Stability Analysis for Nutritional Traits in the Mini Core Collection of Peanut

The nutritional quality of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) products depends on the protein content, oil content, and composition of oil. Low genetic variability has been a major bottleneck in genetic enhancement of these nutritional traits in commercial cultivars. The present study was conducted to identify stable genotypes with better nutritional traits and good agronomic performance for use in future breeding programs. The 184 mini core accessions and four control cultivars were evaluated for nutritional traits for two seasons at two locations and for agronomic traits at one location. Significant genotypic and genotype × environment interactions were observed for all the nutritional and agronomic traits in the entire mini core collection and within each A. hypogaea subspecies of fastigiata Waldron and hypogaea. Eighteen accessions with higher nutritional traits such as protein content, oil content, oleic acid, and oleic to linoleic acid ratio with superior agronomic traits were identified and their stability analysis resulted in identification of a high oleic acid content (>73%) accession (ICG 2381). On the basis of higher nutritional and agronomic traits 11 subsp. fastigiata and 10 subsp. hypogaea diverse accessions were identified with more than two trait combinations for use in peanut breeding programs for genetic enhancement of nutritional traits.