Screening of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Mini Core Collection against Late Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Phaeoisariopsis personata (Berk & M.A Curtis van Arx)

Groundnut is considered as a “poor man's almond” possessing nutritional and medicinal properties constituting 44–50% edible oil, dietary protein (25–33%) and carbohydrates (20%). Diseases like early and late leaf spot caused by Cercospora arachidicola and Phaeoisariopsis personata and rust (Puccinia arachidis) are causing yield loss upto 70% resulting in a lower productivity of the crop. Germplasm collection is a reservoir of genetic variability comprising of promising genes for various characters that can be incorporated in the breeding programme to develop and broaden the genetic base of cultivars. Thus the investigation was carried out to screen the mini core collection comprising of 188 accessions representing fastigiata (33), vulgaris (71), peruviana (2), aequatoriana (1), hypogaea runner (33) and hypogaea bunch (48) and identify the genotypes resistant to late leaf spot. The experiment was conducted in a Simple Lattice Design (15 × 15) in two replications during kharif 2011 at UAS, Bangalore. The cultivar TMV-2 highly susceptible to late leaf spot was used as a spreader row for natural disease incidence. Phenotypic screening was done using modified nine point scale. The genotypes such as ICG 5286, ICG 2773, ICG 111426, ICG 2857 and ICG 6022 recorded as resistant to late leaf spot can be used as a donor of disease resistance in breeding of disease resistant cultivars. SSR marker GM 1009 was validated through single marker analysis.