Improving groundnut using near-isogenic lines for the first time

Foliar fungal disease screening nursery at ICRISAT-India with infector rows and test entries. Photo: P Janila, ICRISAT

For the first time in groundnut crop, a Near-Isogenic Lines (NILs) evaluation trial of marker assisted backcrossing (MABC) derived lines, was constituted for national testing, under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Groundnut (AICRP-G).

Constituting NIL trial under AICRP-G, is a key step towards the release of NILs for cultivation in target ecologies. AICRP-G coordinates the release of groundnut varieties in India through multi-location testing of groundnut lines across five groundnut growing agroecological zones of India. Thirteen elite NILs of three mega-varieties in India were recommended for evaluation.

Three mega-varieties of groundnut in India, TAG 24, JL 24 and ICGV 91114, were improved for resistance to foliar fungal diseases following marker assisted breeding approach at ICRISAT-India. Early generation (BC2F2 and BC3F2) selection, using markers for major effect QTL, followed by field phenotyping of fixed lines over two seasons, enabled identification of best-performing lines for target trait and pod yield. Subsequently, a multi-location testing at seven locations across six major groundnut growing states (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) of India was conducted with elite lines to identify location specific high pod yielding introgression lines. Thirteen promising NILs were recommended for evaluation, under a special trial. The recommended NILs were not only superior to their respective recurrent parent but also recorded a 7-75% higher pod yield over best Zonal check.

NIL trail was constituted at the recently held workshop during 18-20 April at Junagadh Agricultural University, Gujarat.