1Naliendele Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), P. O. Box 509, Mtwara, Tanzania
2International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics P.O. Box 1096, Lilongwe, Malawi
University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Agricultural Earth and Environmental Sciences, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
*Corresponding author's e-mail: mwadzingenil@yahoo.com
Online published on 27 September, 2019.
Sustainable groundnut production can be realised through development and adoption of high yielding cultivars possessing durable rust resistance. Integrating conventional breeding with genomic tools in identifying candidate rust resistance genes, and introgressing the genes into adapted elite germplasm, with the aid of molecular makers, could enhance breeding for rust resistance. This review highlights breeding approaches for groundnut rust resistance, with emphasis on integrating conventional breeding with marker-assisted selection. The life cycle, symptoms and epidemiology of the pathogen are also discussed to understand the host-pathogen interaction and guide groundnut rust resistance breeding.
Epidemiology, Groundnut rust, Host resistance, Marker-assisted selection, Puccinia arachidis
