Assessment of Performance and Oil Recovery (%) in Existing Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Accessions

Abstract

Groundnut cultivation in Bhutan is predominantly restricted to few farmers for its kernels whereby oil is usually not extracted. The rich agro-ecological diversity hosts a multitude of groundnut accessions that have not been studied so far. Based on geographical location, seed colour, seed shape or pattern, five local accessions, namely Chalipa badam, Bartshampa white badam, Yangbrangpa red badam, Yangbrangpa white and purple badam, and Nanongpa badam were identified in eastern Bhutan. A multi-location trial using RCB design was conducted across four agro-ecologically diverse locations namely; ARDC-Wengkhar, ARDSC-Lingmethang, ARDC-Samtenling, and ARDSC-Tsirang in April 2019. Days to 50 % flowering, plant height, number of pods per plant, thousand-seed weight, shelling %, yield, and oil recovery % were assessed. The yield performance of all five accessions was poor in the low/hot environment as compared to that in the mid/cool environment where all accessions, except Nanongpa badam which was marginally low yielding, gave satisfactory and similar yields. Correlation between the number of pods per plant and yield showed a high positive relationship (r = 0.75) whereas that between plant height and yield was negative (r=-0.57).