Screening of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Germplasm Lines for Root Mining Ability in Raised Root Structures

Drought is a multifaceted phenomenon that occurs in various intensities at different stages of groundnut growth under rainfed situation. Adaptation of crops to drought prone rainfed conditions can be achieved by efficient root mining trait. A screening experiment was conducted on a specially constructed raised root structures (Size 15m length x 2m depth x1.8m width) to study the root mining abilities of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) germplasms. Three hundred and thirty-four lines were evaluated for root mining ability, root traits and related physiological traits [specific leaf area (SLA), SPAD Chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) and biomass]. Among 334 lines, it has been observed that, SCMR ranges from 34.7-52.6, SLA between 71.9-352.3 cm²/g, root length between 10- 89 cm, shoot length between 7- 44 cm, root biomass from 0.13 - 2.86 g, shoot biomass from 1.17 - 14.92 g and root to shoot (R/S) ratio from 0.014 - 0.52. The root mining traits varied significantly among the genotypes. Among the 334 lines tested, RKVY 186, RKVY 44 and RKVY 139 recorded higher root mining ability. This groundnut lines may be used as donor source in breeding programmes or may be promoted for multi-location testing under rainfed conditions for making recommendations.